Investigators: Davisville fire intentionally set

Victims identified by authorities

DAVISVILLE -- A husband and wife were identified Monday as the victims in a fatal fire investigators say was intentionally set late Saturday night in Davisville.

A 6-year-old girl who was in the house is in stable condition at the West Penn Burn Center in Pittsburgh, and another female juvenile has been taken into custody, according to the West Virginia State Fire Marshal's Office.

Robert Taylor, 58, and his wife Charolette Taylor, 52, died after being transported from their home at 72 Spruce St., Davisville, to WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center, Deputy State Fire Marshal Jason Baltic said. Causes of death had not been released Monday afternoon.

Firefighters, emergency medical personnel and Wood County Sheriff's deputies responded to the single-story home after midnight early Sunday morning. There were four people in the home at the time of the fire -- the Taylors, the 6-year-old girl and a female juvenile, who was not injured, according to a release from the Fire Marshal's Office.

Baltic and Wood County Prosecutor Pat Lefebure declined to say whether the uninjured juvenile was the same individual who was taken into custody or if there were two different youths involved. Charges have not been announced.

The 6-year-old suffered smoke inhalation and was not breathing when firefighters brought her out of the house, Wood County Sheriff's Deputy T.L. Hewitt said. With no EMS on scene yet, Hewitt said, she confirmed the girl still had a pulse and began rescue breathing.

It was the first time Hewitt, who has been with the sheriff's office for almost a year, had utilized her CPR training in the field.

"I didn't really think about anything at the time. I just kind of reacted," she said.

The child started breathing again and medical personnel, who had arrived on scene, gave her oxygen, Hewitt said. The deputy emphasized it was a combination of efforts on the part of sheriff's personnel, firefighters, EMS and 911 dispatchers that led to that result.

"We all worked together as a team, and that's what helped save her life," she said.

Sheriff's Sgt. D.D. Matheny arrived on scene and was at Hewitt's side while she performed the rescue breathing. When the Taylors were brought out, she assisted in attempts to revive them as well.

"It's heartbreaking, sure," Matheny said of the outcome. "I felt like everybody did everything that could possibly be done to help them."

Sheriff Steve Stephens briefed Wood County commissioners about the incident during their meeting Monday. He said a grief counseling session was being held this evening for those who responded.

"It's a good thing to do," Stephens said.

East Wood Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ron Utt said the session was open to members of the three fire departments -- East Wood, Deerwalk and Mineral Wells -- that responded, as well as deputies, dispatchers and anyone else involved.

"With this magnitude, I felt it was a definite need to do this," he said. "I was struggling with it a little bit, and I know other folks are going to.

"I just feel that it's important for the line of work that we do to not let something like this bother us to the point that it might keep us from doing our duties in the future," he said.

(Staff writer Brett Dunlap contributed to this story.)