"More Than A Fire"

"PORTERVILLE, CA - Porterville firefighters responding to a fire on East Date Street near B Street Friday night made a grisly discovery — an apparent murder-suicide.

"To the sound of smoke alarms ringing, firefighters entered a smoke filled residence just before 9:40 p.m. on the third floor of Porterville Family Apartments and found three juveniles — aged 6, 5 and 1 — in stable condition.

"While firefighters looked for the source of the fire— which was later determined to be the result of dinner cooking on the stove— they found the dead bodies of two adults.

"`The fire department soon thereafter determined that it was more than a fire,` City Manager John Lollis said.

"Porterville Police department detectives who were subsequently called to the scene determined that the gunshot wounds on the adult victims were the result of a murder-suicide, according to spokesman Sgt. Jake Castellow.

"Their determination is `based on information provided from witnesses, and evidence being collected at the scene, as well as information provided by the three children,` spokesman Sgt. Jake Castellow said.

"The names of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of kin, and as of press time, their ages had not been determined. It was also unknown as of press time who may have been at fault for the murder.

"The three children were taken to Sierra View District Hospital and will be placed into protective custody."

Source: recorderonline.com...