Seahawks player's family killed in alleged 'arson fire'
A fire last week in Cleveland has claimed the life of the father of a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
Frank Clark III was one of four people who died in a fire Tuesday, according to authorities.
He is the father of Seattle Seahawks’ defensive end Frank Clark.
Alfonso Lathan Jr., 46, his son, Alfonso Lathan III, 4, and his granddaughter Niayah, 8, were also killed in the blaze. Alfonso Lathan died trying to save the others inside the home, fire officials said.
My father was killed in an arson fire along with 3 other members of my family on the East Side of Cleveland. Pray for me and my family during this time. pic.twitter.com/bjXxHCRe4n
— Frank Clark (@TheRealFrankC_) February 4, 2018
Frank Clark III, 44, was inside a home that caught fire early Tuesday, according to his aunt, Sharon Kemp.
Cleveland.com cites fire department officials as saying the fire had fully engulfed the home by the time firefighters arrived about 1 a.m. The fire’s intensity damaged the home so badly that firefighters had to wait more than 13 hours before being able to find the bodies inside the home.
It took 38 firefighters about 90 minutes to extinguish the fire, officials said. The home had smoke alarms but officials said the alarms were not working at the time of the fire.
While the younger Clark described the blaze that killed his father as an “arson blaze,” investigators have not determined a cause of the fire.
The Ohio Fire Marshal is assisting Cleveland’s fire investigation unit in determining a cause for the fire.
The Seahawks sent a message of condolence to Clark and his family.
.@Seahawks prayers for @TheRealFrankC_ pic.twitter.com/nesr7G3cX0
— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) February 5, 2018
Cleveland.com also reports the Ohio fire marshal brought an accelerant-sniffing dog as part of the investigation into the cause of the fire, which is typical in a fatal fire, a department spokesman said.
A fire marshal investigator led the dog around the porch and collected samples of the ashes and wood from the porch to be tested for accelerants.
The damage from the fire was so extensive that firefighters pumped nine feet of water out of the basement.
Heavy construction equipment was used to dismantle the home to make it safe to search for bodies and to preserve evidence for the investigation into the cause of the fire.
Clark just finished his third season with the Seahawks. He was drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft out of the University of Michigan. He has produced 22 sacks thus far in this NFL career.
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