A tragic house fire in South Carolina killed six people and left another in critical condition, in an incident that led to one arrest for attempted murder.
Colleton County officials said first responders were alerted to a fire in Green Pond around 11:00 am Sunday, and when firefighters arrived on the scene they discovered the six bodies inside the house engulfed in flames.
Meanwhile, a survivor was located and airlifted to a local hospital, prompting police to arrest a man identified as 33-year-old Ryan Lenard Manigo for attempted murder of the survivor.
“Additional charges are pending identification of the victims and autopsy results,” the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
For his part, the spokesman for the family of the victims, Hiram Davis, pointed out that the reason for the attack is not clear at the moment.
“Today’s events that occurred in this quiet and nestled community of Green Pond are tragic,” Davis told the local WCBD outlet. “We ask everyone to give law enforcement time to do their job.
“We must always be vigilant. We must always keep an eye on our surroundings,” added Davis.
Meanwhile, a neighbor who declined to be named said he had to stop five times on the highway to let emergency vehicles pass, only to discover that the cars were heading to his neighbors’ house.
“We don’t have that in this community. There is no violence to that degree,” the neighbor told WCBD. “God help his souls. This community is better than that.”
For the moment, the authorities have not released the names or ages of the victims, or say if they had any kind of connection to Manigo, or if he set the fire.
Manigo is currently being held at the Colleton County Detention Center, awaiting a bond hearing.
The investigation is being led by the South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement’s arson team.
With information from the New York Post