LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A heart-wrenching scene unfolded Monday morning as a family gathered at the site of a devastating house fire that claimed the life of one of their loved ones.
Deputy Gilbert Acciardo reported that the fire, which occurred early in the morning, left one person dead. Two brothers resided in the house; one was away at the time of the incident, while the other was unable to escape the flames.
“It’s been a devastator for them,” Deputy Acciardo said, highlighting the profound impact such tragedies have on families.
“Telling a family member is probably the toughest or the hardest thing that we do,” he added, acknowledging the challenging role law enforcement plays in these emotional moments.
Acciardo says the family arrived at the scene soon after the devastation occurred, and as a deputy, responding to these calls is not easy.
Acciardo said, “These are all tragic; this is somebody’s relative, somebody’s neighbor, and all of these things are very tragic.”
More than ten agencies responded to the fire, including local fire departments, law enforcement, and the Laurel County Major Crimes Task Force, to ensure a thorough investigation into the incident.
“That’s why law enforcement officers are in the job that they’re in: the compassion that they feel for the people that we deal with. So that compassion comes out big time in an event like this,” Acciardo said.
Jim Lewis, owner of Ecotech, was also on scene to assist first responders. Lewis often helps excavate debris in the aftermath of such tragedies, working to ensure families can have closure. “It’s important to everybody to get closure and to get the person out there,” Lewis said.
Reflecting on the emotional toll of the situation, Lewis described the scene as “a terrible thing to see,” emphasizing the necessity of keeping the family at a distance during such a distressing time.
“You think about the family, and when you find the body, you want to make sure that they don’t have to look at it—it’s a terrible thing to see.”
The search for the man's body took crews several hours, but Deputy Acciardo reiterated the importance of their efforts.
“The hard work isn’t just part of the investigation; it’s also to give closure to loved ones,” he stated.
While house fires involving casualties are rare in Laurel County, responders remain devoted to providing resolution to grieving families.
“We want to thoroughly investigate and determine what happened. What caused this fire, and give some resolution to the family,” Acciardo said.
As the community mourns the loss, the investigation into the fire continues, with hopes of delivering answers and closure to the affected family.
