BY RACHEL DOVE
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — A devastating house fire Friday morning on State Route 292 south of Turkey Creek in Inez resulted in the tragic loss of two young children, 1-year-old Jason Lee Mollette and 4-year-old Greyson Marcum.

Martin County Coroner Chris Todd pronounced Jason deceased at 9:08 a.m. and Greyson at 9:30 a.m.

A third child, age 6, and the children’s grandmother, 66-year-old Vera Hammond, narrowly escaped the inferno. Both were transported to a hospital for evaluation of their injuries.

Inez Volunteer Fire Department, led by Chief Lee Gauze, responded to the emergency call at 8:08 a.m. on Hammond Lane along Tug River Road. Upon arrival, they found the Turkey Creek Volunteer Fire Department already combating the flames.

Chief Gauze described the scene as chaotic, with the fire rapidly spreading.

“We immediately began a perimeter search around the house and gained entry into one section where we believed the children to be,” Gauze recounted.

Firefighters got 1-year-old out of the home through a window. Tragically, he died shortly after being rescued.

The 4-year-old child could not be reached in time.

“The fire spread quickly and the house was completely engulfed in a matter of minutes,” said Gauze.

The fire chief expressed the emotional toll the event had on the firefighters and all involved.

“Please keep the family of these precious children in your thoughts and prayers,” he added.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Kentucky State Police.

The coroner transported the bodies of the deceased children to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort for autopsy.