Four die in Marksville fire

Four people died in a house fire on Bill Belt Road shortly before midnight Thursday, making it the parish’s deadliest fire in the past two decades.
Avoyelles Coroner Dr. L.J. Mayeux identified the four victims as Stanley Charrier, 32, his 10-year-old son Carlon Charrier and 12-year-old daughter Emily Charrier, and his mother Katherine Charrier, 73. Mayeux said it appears all four died of smoke inhalation.
Charrier’s wife, who was not identified, was at work at the time of the fire.
Marksville Fire Chief Jerry Bordelon said the doublewide trailer at 661 Bill Belt Road was completely engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. The blaze was fanned by high winds, which hampered efforts to extinguish the fire. He said the fire was out within 45 minutes.
Mayeux said a preliminary investigation indicates the fire started in a shed next to the mobile home and then spread to the residence. However, he said the State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the fire and will have an official determination at a later date.
“I believe this is a horrible accident, but we will not know until the investigation is complete,” he said.
The fire was reported to the Marksville Fire Department at 11:19 p.m. Thursday after a neighbor heard an explosion and called 911.
Volunteer firefighters from Fifth Ward and Brouillette also responded to the call.
“The trailer was totally involved when we got there,” Bordelon said. “We got the fire out, and after that it was a matter of body recovery.”
The four victims were found in their bedrooms.
The death toll is the highest in a single fire in the past 25 years and matches the loss of life in a two-car collision in Moncla in December. A Bunkie house fire in the late 1990s left three people dead. A house fire near Hessmer killed two people last year.