4 Children Among 8 People Dead In Scottsboro Boat Dock Fire

SCOTTSBORO, AL —As emergency crews continue cleanup at Guntersville Lake in Scottsboro, the Jackson County Coroner's Office revealed that of the eight people killed in the boar dock fire Sunday night, four of them were children.

Jackson County Coroner John Jordan said in a release Tuesday that four of the victims were ages 7, 9, 10 and 16 years old. A cause of death has not been released at this time.

The incident occurred late Sunday night and into Monday morning, just after midnight. Fire crews were called to the scene where boats were docked, most of them houseboats. Reports say 35 vessels were destroyed in the blaze.

Scottsboro Fire Chief Gene Necklaus said the boats at the marina are used by some owners as a permanent residence, while other owners use theirs for weekend retreats, so the number of people who were in the boats during the blaze has not been determined. He said houseboats in particular are vulnerable to fire because of the amount of plastic, fuel and electronics inside.

Crews are still assessing the damage in an effort Necklaus said could take several days. "We are going to to check every vessel and do a thorough search, and we are going to continue to do so until every victim is accounted for," he said.

Nineteen agencies are still on the scene, including multiple dive teams and the U.S. Coast Guard.