News

Actions

Visitation for the Speer family

Posted at 11:03 PM, Oct 24, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-25 00:03:50-04

Hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects to the Speer family.

The visitation lasted two hours as people hugged and wiped away tears as they remember the family of six.

The Cass County Sheriff's Department said in news release that the fire origin was located in the living room.

The cause of the fire was a result of ash/embers from the living room fireplace which ignited combustible materials.

The combustible materials included the carpet and living room furnishings. 

The fire led to the collapse of the exterior walls and portions of the roof until firefighters arrived. 

The smoke from the fire, filled the house and led to the death of all six family members. 

36-year-old Michael Speer; his wife, 36-year-old Michelle Speer; and their four young daughters Elli, Addilyn, Emma, and Anniston died in the blaze reported just after midnight last Wednesday. 

During the examination of the fire debris, the Fire Marshal Investigative Team was unable to locate parts of smoke detectors. 

However, interviews conducted indicated that detectors were present in the home, but the condition and function of the battery operated smoke detectors were unclear. 

The fire was reported by a neighbor who called 911.