Burial set for four children killed in fire
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Springfield, Ohio — A joint funeral has been scheduled for four children who died in a mobile home fire on March 21.
Visitation services for Nathan Skaggs, 2; Patrick Snelling, 8; Breonna Snelling, 10; and Cassandra Karg, 10, will be 9 a.m. Saturday, March 28 at the Graham Middle School in St. Paris. The funeral will begin at 11 a.m. There will be no viewing,
Burial will follow in Spring Grove Cemetery in St. Paris under the direction of Vernon Funeral Home in Urbana.
The children died in the fire at 11690 U.S. 36, Lot No. 15, in the Paris Court West mobile home park west of St. Paris.
No cause of death has yet been determined , according to the Champaign County Coroner's office.
Officials could not establish a timeline as to when a cause of death will be confirmed.
Phillip Skaggs Jr. and Christina Gregg, both 33, escaped from the mobile home with their 8-month-old infant, Natalia Skaggs.
They were treated for minor injuries at a local hospital.
Nathan was Skaggs's and Gregg's son, while Breonna and Patrick were Gregg's alone.
Cassie Karg was Skaggs's niece who was spending the night.
Investigators still are working to determine the cause of the fire and electrical engineers are expected to examine the scene later this week, according to Shane Cartmill, public information officer at the State Division of Fire Marshal.
Neighbors reported that the family had been experiencing electrical problems in the home days before the fire.
Les Bowman, who owns the mobile home park, declined to comment Wednesday evening and referred all calls to his attorney. His attorney could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.
A report from the Champaign County Health District showed the park was last inspected in July 2008, but no significant issues were discovered.
Staff writers Bridgette Outten and Matt Sanctis contributed to this report.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0360 or vlough@coxohio.com.


