Thurston County house fire that killed 5 ruled accidental

Thurston County Fire officials say a house fire that killed five members of the same family over the weekend was not intentionally set.

Members of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives were called in to determine the cause and concluded it was most likely accidental.

Couple killed with 3 children in Washington state fire ID’d

Crews from the West Thurston County Regional Fire Authority and the Sheriff’s Office responded to a call reporting a house fire around 6:30 a.m. Saturday, but when they arrived, they found the house “completely engulfed in flames.”

There were five people trapped in the house located at the 8800 block of Sherman Valley Road Southwest in the Capitol State Forest. One juvenile who did not live at the residence was able to escape from the fire, according to the report.

Destiny and Steven Cox lived with their children at their home at Sherman Valley Ranch, southwest of Olympia.

The children, identified as a 13-year-old girl and two boys, ages 10 and 12, also died.

A 14-year-old child was not in the home at the time of the fire.

“We are saddened by this loss of life and the impact that this will have on family members and the community,” said the sheriff’s office in a news release. “We will provide information as it becomes available.”