State police reported Thursday morning there is no evidence indicating the fire was intentionally set.

In the aftermath of the blaze, firefighters recovered six bodies, two adults and four children. The adults were Joseph Huddleston 42, and Brandi Vail, 25. The children found were three girls Kadee Huddleston, 10, Swayzee Hite, 3, and Rhylie Hite, 1, and a three-month-old boy Marshall Hite. The youngest kids are the children of the Brandi Vail. Kadee Huddleston is daughter of Joseph Huddleston.

The two adults who escaped the fire were Sheila Huddleston, 43, and Brandon Huddleston, 19. Shelia is Joseph Huddleston’s wife and Brandon is his son.

Two Cass County sheriff’s deputies were the first to arrive at the home and found the two-story house engulfed in flames. Despite the police officers' attempts to reach those inside, they were prohibited from doing so by the intense smoke and fire. Officers did encounter an adult male and an adult female who had allegedly escaped the fire. The pair was transported by ambulance to Logansport Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. One of the deputies suffered from smoke inhalation but refused medical treatment at the scene.

Multiple fire departments arrived on scene to battle the fire, cold temperatures, and lack of on-scene access to water. Firefighters had to truck in water from a Logansport hydrant when their tanker trucks ran dry. After the fire was extinguished, fire personnel began the painstaking task of combing through the burnt-out home looking for the bodies of the deceased.

Investigators completed an inspection of the entire burned out home and debris on Thursday. They reported there is no evidence indicating the fire was intentionally set. Major appliances, such as the stove and water heater have been ruled out as sources of ignition. There is some evidence indicating the fire could have been caused by an electrical issue, but due to the destruction caused by the fire, the cause remains as undetermined.

There were no working smoke detectors inside the home.

This is an active investigation led by the Cass County Sheriff’s Department. 

There were numerous agencies assisting the Cass County Sheriff’s Department at the scene, including the Logansport Fire Department, the New Waverly Fire Department, the Clymer’s Fire Department, the Walton Fire Department, the Indiana State Police, the Logansport Police Department, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, the Indiana Fire Marshal’s Office, Cass County EMA, Cass County EMS, the Cass County Coroner’s Office, and the local chapter of the Salvation Army.