Ida Gaskie, 79, and two of her children, Helen Gaskie, 53, and Charles Gaskie, 51, died Tuesday morning in the blaze, Coroner Jackie Dunlap said. Four of Gaskie's other children escaped unhurt, he said.
Gaskie cared for her children, all of whom were mentally impaired, Whittaker said.
``We don't know what time the fire started, but a crew was out graveling a road and they noticed the house on fire at 9:37 a.m. CST and reported it, but it was pretty well burned down by then,'' Dunlap said.
``They were all found by their beds,'' he said.
Whittaker said officials are trying to determine whether Charles Gaskie was smoking a cigarette in bed, which caused his mattress to ignite.
Logan County Road Department employee Kenny Lewis discovered the fire. ``It was plum down,'' Lewis said of finding the house. ``It was done gone. It was smoldering.''
Lewis said he spoke with one of the four survivors, but that it was hard to tell what caused the blaze.
Logan County Coroner Jackie Dunlap said smoke inhalation was the most likely cause of death. Dunlap said the fire burned extremely hot, fueled in part by cigarettes and wood burning stoves the family used for heat.
