Examiner: Tucker Fire That Killed Mom, Girls Was an Accident

TUCKER, GA -- A Tucker house fire that killed a woman and her two daughters has been ruled an accident by medical investigators after months of study.

Gwinnett County Medical Examiner Dr. Carol A. Terry ruled Tuesday that Kathy Patterson and her daughters -- Kayla, 12, and Madelyn, 9 -- died of smoke and soot inhalation in an accidental fire on February 9, her office confirmed.

"There’s no physical evidence that this fire was set," Terry told the Gwinnett Daily Post.

The fire, in the 1000 block of Pointer Ridge in Tucker, was originally considered an accident. But, in short order, investigators began saying there were "inconsistencies" in the story told by its lone survivor, father and husband Brent Patterson.

"The inconsistencies are not an indication of culpability, but rather complicate the progress of the investigation," Gwinnett County Fire & Emergency Services Capt. Tommy Rutledge said in February.

According to initial reports from Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services, Patterson told investigators the family was upstairs getting ready to go to bed when they heard popping sounds from downstairs.

He said he went downstairs to investigate and found the house’s lower level on fire. He told firefighters he yelled for the rest of the family to get out of the house, then exited the home himself.

When he realized they hadn’t escaped, Patterson said, he tried to go back in and help them, but couldn’t because of heat and smoke from the fire.

A neighbor also attempted to get into the house to help but could not, officials said.

While the medical examiner's report rules out arson, it doesn't necessarily mark the end of the road for the case.

District Attorney Danny Porter said Tuesday he is still waiting on a final report from the fire department to decide whether to pursue criminal charges.

"Remember, that’s not binding on me," he told the Daily Post, referring to the medical examiner's report.

The medical examiner's office on Tuesday did not release its entire report in the fire's three death, noting that the reports are part of a fire-department investigation that is ongoing.