3 children dead, multiple people injured following house fire in Jackson County

MCKEE, Ky. – Three young children are dead and several people are injured after a house fire in Jackson County the day before Christmas Eve.

According to Trooper Kearney, public affairs officer for the Kentucky State Police Post 7, troopers received a request from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department just before midnight on Dec. 23 for assistance to investigate a fatal house fire on Upper Dry Fork Road in McKee.

Authorities say both KSP troopers and detectives, along with the Jackson County coroner, responded to the scene.

A preliminary investigation revealed three children were pronounced dead at the scene as a result of the fire, according to troopers.

Authorities say these include a 7-month-old, a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old.

According to troopers, a 4-year-old child was transported to the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital and later taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio for further treatment.

Three adults, including 23-year-old Tyler Monst, 22-year-old Morgan Johnson and 76-year-old Florence Johnson, all of McKee, were transported to the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the fire.

The cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.

The Kentucky State Police was assisted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, multiple fire departments and the Jackson County Coroner’s Office.