Two parents are “criminally responsible” for a California house fire that killed two of their children and several of their pets in December, authorities said.
Stacey Hales and Adam Keenan have been arrested in connection with the deadly December 20 blaze at their mobile home in Murrieta, where first responders also found a carport, three cars, “two outbuildings” and a pine tree on fire, according to the Murrieta Police Department.
Their daughters — Abigail Keenan, 11, and Emma Keenan, 12 — died in the fire, which led to the parent’s hospitalization, according to officials, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The children and several pets were found dead inside the mobile home after it took firefighters about 45 minutes to extinguish the flames, police said in a news release.
Afterward, police said an investigation resulted in authorities finding “sufficient evidence to establish probable cause that Stacey Hales and Adam Keenan, both residents of the home, were criminally responsible for the fire and resulting deaths of the juveniles and animals.”
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Hales, 46, faces several charges including two counts of reckless burning causing death, two counts of reckless burning of an inhabited structure, two counts of child endangerment, animal cruelty, and a controlled substance charge, according to police.
She was released from jail after posting a $160,000 bail and is awaiting a court appearance, police said.
Keenan, 43, was arrested March 13 and is being held at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center, according to authorities. He is charged with two counts of child endangerment and a controlled substance charge.
It was not immediately clear whether Hales or Keenan had retained attorneys who could speak on their behalf.
In the aftermath of the fire, Hales’ brother, Scott Nalder, created a GoFundMe page in support of her daughters’ funeral expenses, The Los Angeles Times reported. The page is no longer active as of Monday, March 16.
The GoFundMe page had raised more than $113,000 before it was taken down, KTLA reported.
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Authorities have not shared further information on what caused the fire at the family’s mobile home.
In December, Murrieta Fire Chief Bernard Molloy called the tragedy “devastating,” and said that “Everyone one of our firefighters that was here had children,” according to CBS News
The Murrieta Police Department is asking anyone with information on the blaze to call Detective Velazquez at (951) 461-6340 or submit anonymous information online to the agency’s website.
Murrieta, which is located in Riverside County, is about a 65-mile drive north from San Diego.
