Officials are still investigating the cause of a fire that took the lives of three people in Franklin. 26-year old Betsie Austif and her two children, three-year old Jacob and three-month old Jocelyn lost their lives in the blaze in 400 block of East Main Street in Franklin . Betsie’s Husband Johnathan survived the fire.
Phil McCarty, with the Morgan County Emergency Management Office and West Central Joint ETSB says officials from a number of different agencies are working to determine the cause of the fire.
“The investigation is ongoing with the Illinois State Fire Marshals Office, The Morgan County Sheriff’s Department and the Morgan County Coroner to identify the cause of deaths as well as the possible cause of the fire. It will be an ongoing investigation for an unknown amount of time. It takes time to analyze evidence and do interviews and such.”
McCarty says that it he doesn’t know how long the investigation will take.
“ It could be weeks, could be months. It takes time for investigators to handle the work and close all the gaps and ensure that everything is analyzed appropriately to ensure that we have the correct information.”
WLDS will keep you updated as more information becomes available.