LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Fire officials are investigating whether a smoke detector went off in a central Arkansas duplex where a mother and her four children were found dead.
Pulaski County Coroner Gerone Hobbs says they died from smoke inhalation.
Authorities say a smoke alarm was hard-wired into the duplex and it's being tested as part of the investigation. They say smoke detectors in the duplexes do not send signals directly to the fire department and that the detectors do not require regular battery replacement because they are wired into the complex.
Phil Nix, the executive director of the Jacksonville Housing Authority says a maintenance worker discovered the bodies and that extensive smoke damage was visible in the kitchen.
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