A house fire outside Merkel turned deadly Tuesday night, claiming two lives.
It happened around 10 p.m. in a mobile home off County Road 379 just Northwest of Merkel. Officials say 46 year old Kevin Bradshaw and his 4 year old son, Conner were killed in the fire. The fire destroyed the home and some vehicles. The family waited at the scene throughout most of the day but would not allow media on the property.
The State Fire Marshall believes the fire may have originated in a smaller, unoccupied mobile home on Bradshaw property. It stands about 20 feet from the home and is used for storage. Officials say it had electrical appliances plugged in inside the nearby mobile home that might have started the fire, but the cause has been ruled as "undetermined."
The bodies of Kevin and Conner Bradshaw have been transferred to the Southwest Forensics Laboratory in Fort Worth for autopsy.
