Eight victims identified in Alabama marina fire
Eight people who were killed in a marina fire in Alabama were identified. The victims included a mother and her five children, according to CNN. The other two victims were unrelated. The fire took place at Jackson County Park Marina at Guntersville Lake.
The mother was identified as Grace Annette Watson Miles, 40, and her children as Christopher Zane Long, 19; Bryli Anniston Long, 16; Trayden Dominic Miles, 10; Kesston Damien Miles, 9; and Dezli Nicole Miles, 7. A GoFundMe page for the family has raised nearly $28,000 as of this morning.
The other two victims were Amanda Foster, 38, and Yancy Ferrell Roper, 54.
Jackson County Emergency Management Director Paul Smith told CNN that his agency had initially targeted one boat as the cause of the fire, but its examination determined it was the wrong vessel. State and federal investigators are now looking for a 40- to 45-foot "boat of interest" but several vessels have matched that description, said Smith.
Smith said many vessels at the dock burned down to the water line, hampering the ability of investigators to identify them. He said work crews continue to recover debris and collect spilled fuel. The US Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board as well as the Alabama State Fire Marshal and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have all launched investigations into the fire.
