Georgia Fire That Killed Wife And Daughters Under Investigation

Brent Patterson has come under scrutiny as authorities investigate a house fire that killed his wife and two daughters on February 9, in Gwinnett County, Georgia. According to Patterson, he and his family were upstairs about 8:30 p.m. getting ready for bed. He said he heard a popping sound and went downstairs to investigate. Patterson said the living room was on fire and he yelled to his family and then exited the house. When they did not come out of the house, he says that he was unable to re-enter.

Speculation comes to mind when a husband and father leaves his burning home without waiting for his family to come down the stairs or try to go up the stairs to assist them. In a news release, officials did not directly accuse Brent Patterson, but said there were “inconsistencies” in his statement, according to Tucker Patch.

In the audio of the 911 call, a neighbor is telling the operator that the house is on fire and that he sees no one around, assuming the entire family is inside, yet Brent Patterson claimed he had been running around the house screaming for help, trying to break in windows to save his family. When firefighters arrived, they said Patterson was outside the home, screaming. The blaze was so intense, no one could enter the home to look for the family.

The preliminary finding was the Georgia fire started in the living room but investigators are trying to determine why the fire spread so quickly. Brent Patterson returned to the scene of the fire the next day without a coat or shoes and said, “They’re dead. My whole life is over.”

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“Investigators say that there are inconsistencies in the information provided by the lone survivor as to what took place during the fire. The inconsistencies are not an indication of culpability, but rather complicate the progress of the investigation,” Gwinnett County Fire spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge said. Details of the inconsistencies were not released due to the ongoing investigation.

The fire took the lives of Kathy Patterson and her daughters, Kayla, 12, and Madelyn, 9. The house was so badly burned that one of the children could not be found in the debris until the next day. Firefighters also found the body of the family’s dog and buried it in the backyard out of respect for the family.

“Our goal is to rule out potential ignition sources and to try and pinpoint an exact origin and cause of the fire,” Rutledge said. Charred items from the home will be tested.

The Georgia fire is being investigated by multiple agencies including the Gwinnett fire department, police department, district attorney’s office, and the insurance company. Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said he was involved because of the intensifying inconsistencies. Toxicology reports and the findings of their investigation may not be available for weeks, according the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Family and friends said the couple were happy together. Friends describe the family as being active in their church, Tucker First United Methodist, which is where the funeral was held. Brent Patterson asked those who attended to wear pink and blue, which were his girls’ favorite colors. A church member described Kathy as “a passionate mother” who loved to dance. She described Brent Patterson as “completely shattered.” At the funeral, Patterson said, “I love them with all my heart.”

The Georgia fire leaves a big question: If the family was awake upstairs, why couldn’t they escape the home before being overtaken by the fire? If Brent Patterson is innocent, his grief is only intensified by the scrutiny he’s under during the investigation.