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DELTA — The Utah State Medical Examiner's Office has positively identified three people killed in a tragic house fire in Delta over the weekend.
The bodies of Michael Smith, Sr., 76, Ronald Smith, 53, and Patty Warren, 62, were found Saturday inside the burnt remains of the house at 35 W. 300 South. Two other people and a dog survived with minor injuries, according to the Millard County Sheriff's Office. How the fire started remained under investigation Tuesday. The exact cause of death for each victim has not been released.
"This was obviously an intense fire with wind as a factor," the sheriff's office said in a statement while also praising the agencies that responded to the incident for stopping the fire from spreading to other structures.
The Millard County Chronicle reported the fire started not long after power was restored to the area following a brief outage. The paper also reported there were reports of an explosion when the fire started about 4:45 p.m.
On social media, several people expressed their condolences and posted messages in remembrance of the victims.
"Mom I will miss you so much. I know (you're) in a better place. I can't believe this happened," William Pridgen posted. "I will always love you."
"You were a great friend and will be deeply missed! Rest in Paradise!," another woman posted.
