Cause of Thibodaux blaze still undetermined

State Fire Marshal officials have yet to determine the cause of the fire that left a Thibodaux woman and two of her grandchildren dead Friday.

The Thibodaux Police Department dispatched volunteer fire fighters to 116 East 12th St. at 1:37 a.m. Friday, according to spokeswoman Lt. Laura Guise.

Police and nearly 40 local firemen arrived only to find the three bedroom, wood-framed house fully engulfed, said Randy Pate, an administrator with the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department.

Mary Thomas, 54, the owner of the house, and two of her grandchildren n Shakoya Triggs, 4, and Emanuel Triggs Jr., 3 n were killed in the fire.

The children’s mother, Iesha Holly, 23, was transported to Thibodaux Regional Medical Center’s Emergency rooms with burns to her upper torso and legs, Guise said.

Four family members escaped the blaze unharmed. They were identified as Mike Savoy, 43; Isaac Holly, 26; Latricea Tillman, 21; and Brea Triggs, 1.

Pate said as emergency responders worked to pull people from inside the house, attempts to save Thomas and the two Trigg children were unsuccessful as the blaze devoured the wooden building.

“The fire was so large for the small structure we had to do an interior attack where we detach the hoses and [go] inside the home through the front door. Within 10 minutes or so, the fire was contained,” he said.

An investigation has been launched to find the cause of the fire, which left nearly 45 percent of the home charred, Pate noted.

According to fire reports, there was no electricity in the home, and the family had been using candles as a light source. The electrical power had been discontinued on April 16, according to Guise.

Because the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department is outside the fire prevention bureau limits, the State Fire Marshal’s cause of origin investigators were called to determine the exact cause of the fire, Pate explained.

Arson Investigation Division Chief Mark Reech said although the exact cause is undetermined, “No foul play is suspected. We are looking at the fire as a regrettable accident,” he said.

Reech said the investigator’s determination has not been limited to one cause. However, he noted the most likely cause was the burning candle inside the home.

“Debris from the candle was found around the approximated point of origin near the family’s sofa,” Reech said.

Investigator Bryan Fontenot, of the State Fire Marshal’s Office, is running the investigation.

Staff photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN • Tri-Parish Times * State Fire Marshal officials are investigating the cause of a Thibodaux fire that killed a woman and two of her grandchildren early Friday.