Alum Bridge , Lewis County , West Virginia

A pistol was found at the scene of a barn that was destroyed in a fire in Lewis County that claimed the lives of a mother and her two young children, Assistant State Fire Marshal Mark Lambert said.

The cause of the blaze in Alum Bridge is still under investigation, but Deputy Fire Marshal Reed Cook described it as suspicious.

First Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Nabila Haikal identified the victims as: 32-year-old Beth Ann Kraus; her 5-year-old son, Kaden Edward Kraus; and her 3-year-old daughter, Keira Marie Kraus.

Haikal performed the autopsies Tuesday. But the medical examiner's office does not release causes of death. Authorities have refused to say whether they believe the victims died before or during the blaze behind a home in Alum Bridge.

The fire occurred sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning, when the woman's husband phoned authorities. Authorities said the fire was reported about 7:50 a.m. Monday. It occurred in a 20 by 20 foot storage barn with no electricity and no flammable materials stored there.

Stay tuned to Eyewitness News for further updates.

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The cause of a Lewis County fire that claimed the lives of a 32-year-old mother, her 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter is considered suspicious, the state Fire Marshal's Office said.

Deputy Fire Marshal Reed Cook said the blaze occurred in a 20 by 20 foot storage barn with no electricity and no flammable material stored there. He said the building had burned down when the husband discovered the bodies in the barn. The fire was reported about 7:50 a.m. Monday.

Stay tuned to Eyewitness News for further updates.

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The victims in a fatal fire in Lewis County were a 32-year-old mother, her 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter, the state Fire Marshal's Office said.

The bodies have been sent to the state Medical Examiner's Office to confirm the identities and determine the cause of death, Deputy Fire Marshal Reed Cook said Tuesday.

The husband of the family discovered the bodies when he came home from work, Cook said. The bodies were found in a barn of the residence on Crooked Run Road in Alum Bridge. Cook said the fire was reported about 7:50 a.m. Monday. The building was destroyed.

Investigators are still processing evidence and waiting for some test results before they determine the cause of the blaze.

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A woman and two toddlers were found dead after a barn fire in Lewis County, the Lewis County Sheriff's Office said.

The identities of the people killed in the blaze on Crooked Run Road in the community of Alum Bridge were unavailable, Deputy State Fire Marshal Reed Cook said. State Police and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department were at the scene.

Cook said the cause of the fire had not been determined. The fire occurred about 8 a.m. Monday. It is unclear if the three died in or before the fire.

Deputy Robert Ryan said the bodies will be sent to the state medical examiner's office in Charleston.

Stay tuned to Eyewitness News for further updates.

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