Father of Smith Six mourns, cause of fire 'undetermined'

SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- It was a hard day for David Smith, the father of the six children killed in the house fire on Laporte Avenue 11 months ago.

A camera at the church just across the street captured the whole thing Jan. 21, helping the investigators come to their ruling, which they presented Wednesday: undetermined.

"What was it like sitting through today's press conference, seeing the screenshots, hearing kind of the minute-by-minute breakdown?" ABC57's Annie Kate asked David Smith.

"Too much emotion," he replied, "that's why I walked out."

Smith said his life has been a "living hell" since his children, Angel, Demetris, Davida, Deontay, D'Angelo, and Faith, were lost.

"How are you keeping their memories alive?" Annie Kate asked.

"I look at their picture every day and talk to them," Smith said.

"What would you say you miss most?"

"All of them. All of them. The way they act, the things I had to do, from yelling at them, telling them to clean up, pick up," Smith said. "You know, everyday things."

In a disappointing turn, the ruling cause of the fire is undetermined.

"This fire, just because it got so big and the intensity, we could not come to a scientific, definitive answer as to what the cause of the fire was," said Steve Jones, the Indiana State Fire Marshal.

The ruling comes despite what Jones said were exhaustive efforts.

"We've invested thousands of hours in this case, leaving no stone unturned in the quest for answers," he said.

"There was some speculation, some theories about what was happening," said South Bend Mayor James Mueller. "This did answer some of those, but of course, it didn't give the definitive answers of how this happened."

Investigators found more than one potential cause of the fire, but Jones didn't specify further, except to say it could have been electrical, but it couldn't be proven for sure. There is no evidence of arson or criminal activity.

Investigators said if they receive more information or any new evidence, their findings could change.

"It's been 11 months, so this is ripping open the wounds that the community went through 11 months ago," Mueller said.    

The fire started in the family room and dining room area of the house just after 6 p.m.

At about 6:12, someone is seen hanging and jumping from a second story window-- it's david smith-- he runs around the home, trying to get in and save his kids.

The 911 call is made at 6:14.

"We live with this tragedy each and every day. We do not take it lightly," said South Bend Fire Chief Carl Buchanon. "We still have firefighters who are still struggling mentally and physically with this event from that fatal night."

While they found smoke detectors in the home, investigators cannot be sure if they went off. Witnesses and Smith say they didn't hear an alarm, and an alarm cannot be heard in the 911 call from the house.

It's a reminder that the South Bend Fire Department has a program where they will not only provide smoke alarms, they will properly install them too.

For more information from Wednesday's press conference, Visit.