A Lake Charles man has been arrested in connection with a trailer fire earlier this week that killed a mother and daughter and gravely injured an 11-year-old boy.
36-year-old Casey Hatch was arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Parish Jail on two counts of 2nd Degree Murder. His bond is set at $2 million.
According to a statement released Friday, the Lake Charles Fire Department responded on Tuesday, January 14, to a trailer fire call in the 300 block of Dobbertine Drive. The four occupants in the home at the time were Hatch, the homeowner, as well as a 39-year-old mother and her two children, a 12-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy. All four were transported to a local hospital.
The girl died hours later while her mother, identified as Marie Bourque, died late on the 16th. The Calcasieu Parish Coroner's Office said that both died of smoke inhalation.
The boy remains in critical condition.
SFM investigators determined after an assessment of the scene that the fire began in a bedroom. Deputies conducted interviews with witnesses to determine a cause. In his interview with deputies, Hatch confessed to setting the fire in an attempt to commit suicide.
Upon his release from the hospital, Hatch was arrested on an unrelated, outstanding warrant by CPSO. He was then rebooked on the charges in this case.
State Fire Marshal H. "Butch" Browning said this is a disturbing outcome to an already tragic situation.
"Arson is a serious crime," said Browning, "And in cases like this, where innocent people die as a result of intentionally set fires, our deputies work even more diligently to get answers for loved ones and justice for victims. We are grateful to LCFD and CPSO for sharing our dedication to that effort in this case."
State Fire Marshal Deputies worked with the Lake Charles Fire Department and the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office to make the arrest.
