BERKELEY COUNTY, WV - Investigators have not yet determined what caused a fire that killed a man and his son on Friday.
The family talked about the tragedy for the first time on Sunday.
"There's nothing left of what he had. It's gone," says Cole McCulloch, his uncle David Hutlzer and eight-year-old cousin, James Hutlzer, were killed.
Sifting through the rubble of his uncle's mobile home, McCulloch says there isn't much that can be saved.
"Everything's just completely ruined," he said. "The heat and smoke damage. Nothing is recognizable."
Only a few days before the fire McCulloch had visited his uncle.
"He was happy that day. That's how I'll remember him."
On Friday, a fire destroyed the home, trapping David and his son inside.
Firefighters found the bodies in the bedroom. Investigators don't know what caused the fire, but accelerants were found near by and arson has not been ruled out.
"Right now I'm not going to speculate," says McCulloch. "All I know is that I lost my uncle and my cousin and our family is just destroyed. My mom is just real sad.
He hopes people will just remember the good things about his Uncle
David and his cousin.
"He's in Heaven now waiting for us. He's the kind of person that would literally, if he saw that you needed something, he would give you the shirt off his back," he said about David.
"His mom and dad loved him an awful lot," he said about James. He was in the third grade, was homeschooled and loved tractors. He went by the nickname, "Mack."
"People should be so lucky to have a mom and dad love him like that, so it's just real sad that we lost him too. It's terrible."
As investigators try to find answers, McCulloch hopes his story will make other people aware of the dangers of not being prepared.
"Please just go and check your smoke detectors. Check the stuff in your house."
West Virginia State Police are investigating, they did not return our calls on Sunday. A cause of death has not been determined, both bodies are scheduled for an autopsy in Charleston, W. Va.
Read more at your4state.com.
Fatal Fire Victim's Family Members: "He's in Heaven now waiting for us."
BERKELEY COUNTY, WV - Investigators have not yet determined what caused a fire that killed a man and his son on Friday. The family talked about the tragedy for the first time on Sunday. "There's nothing left of what he had. It's gone," says Cole McCulloch, his uncle David Hutlzer and eight-year-old cousin, James Hutlzer, were killed. Sifting through the rubble of his uncle's mobile home, McCulloch says there isn't much that can be saved. "Everything's just completely ruined," he said. "The heat and smoke damage. Nothing is recognizable." Only a few days before the fire McCulloch had visited his uncle. "He was happy that day. That's how I'll remember him." On Friday, a fire destroyed the home, trapping David and his son inside. Firefighters found the bodies in the bedroom. Investigators don't know what caused the fire, but accelerants were found near by and arson has not been ruled out. "Right now I'm not going to speculate," says McCulloch. "All I know is that I lost my uncle and my cousin and our family is just destroyed. My mom is just real sad. He hopes people will just remember the good things about his Uncle David and his cousin. "He's in Heaven now waiting for us. He's the kind of person that would literally, if he saw that you needed something, he would give you the shirt off his back," he said about David. "His mom and dad loved him an awful lot," he said about James. He was in the third grade, was homeschooled and loved tractors. He went by the nickname, "Mack." "People should be so lucky to have a mom and dad love him like that, so it's just real sad that we lost him too. It's terrible." As investigators try to find answers, McCulloch hopes his story will make other people aware of the dangers of not being prepared. "Please just go and check your smoke detectors. Check the stuff in your house." West Virginia State Police are investigating, they did not return our calls on Sunday. A cause of death has not been determined, both bodies are scheduled for an autopsy in Charleston, W. Va. Read more at your4state.com.
/ Source: WHAG-TV