3 months ago
Port Richey, Florida - Despite reports of explosions by neighbors, investigators say they found nothing unusual inside the home where a fire killed a 6-year-old boy.
Brice Atkeson died at a local hospital after being transported. His father, who is in an Orlando prison, has been notified. Another person, 26-year-old Michael Hatalski, was also taken to the hospital with second degree burns.
The fire broke out just after 11 p.m. Sunday inside a home on Bridleton Road, in a neighborhood south of Ranch Road.
Two other children made it out of the home safely, investigators said. The children's mother, 25-year-old Danielle Hopkins, suffered minor injuries.
Neighbors connected with us to say they heard what sounded like ammunition going off inside the home while the fire burned. Detectives say they were given similar reports by neighbors, but investigators found nothing to support what those witnesses heard.
One neighbor did give a possible explanation for the explosions: he told us the man who lived in the home had told him in the past that he kept a handgun and ammunition in the house.
Fire investigators spent several hours sweeping the soot-coated house. After a thorough study and a run-through by a dog trained to smell strange substances like gasoline, investigators said they found nothing unusual inside.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, detectives said.
