Authorities in Oklahoma have launched a homicide investigation after eight people were found dead in a house fire in the town of Broken Arrow.
Firefighters were called to the scene just after 4 p.m. on Thursday and put out the flames. When officers went inside, they found the bodies of eight victims.
The victims of the fire have not been identified, but the Broken Arrow Police Department said that six children lived in the house. Investigators are not sure if they died due to the fire or if they were killed before the fire started.
“Broken Arrow stands together. We will mourn together, and in the end, we will heal together. Please pray for those who have lost their lives and for our first responders who are dealing with a tragedy of this magnitude. My staff and I, as well as the Fire Chief and his staff, will have more information tomorrow,” Broken Arrow Police Chief Brandon Berryhil said in a statement posted on Facebook.
News of the fire and the deaths have shocked residents in the usually quiet neighborhood.
“It’s absolutely insane, and it’s crazy to know that it’s just down the street from my house,” Taylon Price told KTUL. “It’s very quiet, very peaceful, so for something like this to happen, it’s just insane.”
