Cause of cabin fire unknown

MILES TOWNSHIP -- Investigators announced yesterday they were still searching for the cause of a cabin fire on Madisonburg Mountain, believed by many to be the worst tragedy in Centre County history.

The Sunday morning fire, which occurred about 20 miles northeast of State College, resulted in the deaths of 11 people.

"I've been a life resident, and I don't remember anything this tragic," said Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers yesterday at a news conference at Bald Eagle Area High School in Wingate.

Terry Miller, a fire marshal for the Pennsylvania State Police at Rockview, said although fires in rural areas are not unusual, this incident differs because of the number of fatalities.

"In loss of life, it is definitely the worst I've seen," Miller said.

Four autopsies showed the people died from asphyxiation due to smoke inhalation, Sayers said. He added that forensic dentists are using dental records to identify victims.

The bodies of some of the victims were found in beds, Miller said. "It did not appear that any had made any conscious effort to leave the structure."

Early reports indicated an explosion was a possible cause of the fire. However, Miller said investigators have found no evidence to support that theory.

"There was nothing found to indicate that there were any explosives," he said.

State police are still trying to determine the contents of the cabin.

"We don't know what all was in the cabin at this time," Miller said. "The cabin and the contents were totally destroyed."

The cabin was heated by propane and also had electricity, Byron said.

Evidence gathered at the scene of the fire is being sent to a state police crime lab in Harrisburg, Byron said.

Although investigators are still seeking the source of the fire, a rough timeline of events is being established.

At 3:10 a.m. Sunday, an employee of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation drove by the scene and said the house was "lit up," Byron said. He added that investigators are assuming this meant lights were on inside the cabin. At 5:15 a.m., an unknown person placed a call to the Centre County 911 communications center, reporting a fire at the cabin.

Emergency personnel from Millheim, Miles and Walker townships and East Centre Ambulance Service responded to the scene at 5:36 a.m., Byron said. The fire was in the process of being extinguished when state police troopers arrived, he said.

"When our officers arrived, the structure was down and totally engulfed in flames," Byron said.

Three state police fire marshals, two evidence technicians and about seven other state police investigators then secured the scene, Byron said. Sayers, members of the Miles and Walker fire companies, pathologists from Centre Community Hospital and the Pennsylvania Dental Association Dental Identification Team assisted in the investigation, he said.