Woman, 3 boys die in blaze

WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio - Three boys who spent the night with their grandmother so she wouldn't be alone on Christmas died with her Friday morning as a fire engulfed her home, authorities said.

Fayette County Coroner Dennis Mesker said the badly burned bodies were turned over to the Montgomery County coroner's office for autopsies and confirmation.

They were tentatively identified as Terry Harris, 60, and three brothers: Kenyon, 14; Broderick, 11; and Braylon Harris, 9. Terry Harris lived alone in the single-story, ranch-style house that was destroyed by the fire reported shortly after 4 a.m. The boys lived two houses down with their parents.

"They didn't want their grandma to be by herself on Christmas night, that's why they spent the night there," Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth said. "The children just adored their grandmother."

State Fire Marshal's spokesman William Krugh said state investigators were trying to determine what caused the blaze.

Stanforth said the grandmother's body was found near the front door, with the children near, so authorities think she was trying to help them get out. Firefighters sifting through the smoldering debris found the bodies hours after the blaze erupted: The site was too unstable and hot before then.

"To lose three children and a grandparent, it's devastating to the family," Stanforth said by telephone from the Washington Court House area, about 40 miles southwest of Columbus. "The fact that it's the holidays makes it even worse for the community."