Nov. 21--FORT LEE -- The outside of the duplex offered little insight into a fire that killed a soldier and his 2-year-old daughter early Monday morning. Fort Lee officials yesterday identified the victims as Sgt. Corey Flowers and daughter Kourtney Flowers, 2. Wife and mother Spc. Pauletta Flowers was not at home at the time of the fire, officials said in a statement.
Fort Lee Fire Chief Tom Bahr said the blaze started in the kitchen, resulting from unattended cooking with oil in an open frying pan. The cause of death is still under examination by the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
Fort Lee dispatch received an emergency call at 2:50 a.m. Monday to the 2700 block of Belleau Wood Road in the Madison Park Subdivision. They arrived to find the left half of a two-story duplex unit on fire. Neighbors in the other unit escaped unharmed, and the right half received some damage.
On Tuesday morning, the chief sign of damage was a blue tarp covering a large front window. Police tape surrounded the duplex and yard. A small array of stuffed animals was set out by the mailbox in the quiet neighborhood.
Corey Flowers, a native of Raeford, N.C., enlisted in 2006 and served in the 54th Quartermaster Company as a mortuary affairs specialist. He served his entire Army tenure at Fort Lee, according to a statement. His wife serves in the 530th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion at Fort Lee.
Copyright 2012 - The Progress-Index, Petersburg, Va.
