A Broughton woman has died and her two young children are being treated for injuries sustained in a house fire early Friday morning. Hamilton County Coroner Steve Bowling says his office performed an autopsy on 40 year old Samantha Blake yesterday. The 2 and 12 year old children were able to escape out the side of the 2nd Street house, which would eventually be deemed a complete loss by fire officials. Bowling says they’re still awaiting official autopsy results but he suspects heat, smoke inhalation, and/or potentially carbon monoxide to be deemed the cause of death. McLeansboro Fire, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and the Coroner’s Investigation Unit out of Ullin, IL all assisted in the disaster.
