4 Die In Mobile Home, 2 Suspects Arrested

4 people have died in a mobile home fire near Billings, Montana. Two suspects have been arrested as a result.

Authorities removed four bodies from the burned out home on Thursday. Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder explained that the suspects were apprehended later that evening.

Although police stated that Zaccary John Kern and Robert Eric Bottenhagen were arrested in connection to the fire, Linder wouldn’t comment on how they were related to the 4 people who died in the mobile home.

“We’re not releasing any investigative details at this point until I get with the county attorney’s office,” he explained.

However, Linder stated that the two men were being charged with four counts of negligent homicide in the blaze. Both men were booked at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility, where they each received an additional charge of felony arson.

Authorities stated that the names of the 4 people who died in the mobile home would not be released until their families had been properly notified. An autopsy on the bodies is scheduled for Friday (April 19).

The fire was reported early Thursday morning. Fire crews were able to get the blaze under control within 10 minutes of arriving on the scene. While nothing suspicious was noticed during the initial search of the mobile home, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms soon joined the investigation.

Neighbor Troy Donges said his son woke him up after noticing that flames had engulfed the mobile home. Although he quickly rushed to the scene and attempted to get people out, there was no response from inside the building.

“I was hitting the trailer as hard as I could with my hand. There was so much smoke in there, I don’t know how anybody could’ve survived. People told me every time I hit it, it sounded like a gunshot and it woke them up,” Donges explained.

An investigation into how the 4 people died inside the mobile home is currently underway.