An elderly couple is dead after a fire tore through their home in the tiny Alfalfa County community of McWillie before dawn on Saturday, with the sheriff confirming the two were found deceased inside. The blaze was reported at 4:09 a.m., and investigators have not yet released the victims' names.
Alfalfa County Sheriff Gary Mast confirmed the deaths, according to Enid News & Eagle, which reported that multiple fire department units responded to the scene once the fire was called in. The sheriff said the couple were inside the home at the time neighbors became aware of the fire, and that they were later found deceased inside the residence.
Names Withheld as State Investigators Take Over
Sheriff Mast said the couple's names have not been released, and he referred further questions to the State Fire Marshal's Office, which is now investigating the blaze. He described the investigation as ongoing, with both local and state officials involved in determining what happened.
As for what sparked the fire, Mast said the cause is believed to be electrical, though that has not been confirmed. No further details about the extent of damage to the home or the couple's identities have been made public as the investigation continues.
Another Rural Oklahoma Fire Under State Review
The McWillie fire comes amid a separate investigation into a fatal fire in tiny Mooreland, where a blaze near 8th Street also drew in the State Fire Marshal's Office and required help from Woodward fire crews. Oklahoma's State Fire Marshal's Office is the agency tasked with determining causes in fires of this kind statewide.
For now, the people of McWillie are left without answers about what claimed the lives of their neighbors in the early morning hours. Authorities have not indicated when the investigation might conclude or when the couple's identities will be released.
