Three people are dead after an early-morning house fire in the Boggs Addition on Warsaw's west side.

Kelly Grossman, 40, and her two daughters, Ashley Grossman, 16, and Angela Grossman, 12, died in the residence at 1504 Maye St. The bodies were to be taken to Fort Wayne for autopsies later today.

The husband and father of the victims, Rodney Grossman, no age available, and a son, Richard Grossman, 13, escaped the one-story home with minor injuries and were taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital for treatment. Both were later released. Rodney Grossman suffered smoke inhalation and Richard Grossman suffered abrasions from falling into the roadway in an attempt to cross to a neighbor's house to call for help. Another son, Rodney Grossman Jr., is away at college.

Bill Gardner of 1503 Maye St., said he was awakened when he heard Richard Grossman pounding on his door and, when he opened his front door, saw flames shooting from the Grossman home. A 911 call was placed at 4:16 a.m. and a Warsaw Police Department officer was the first person to reach the scene.

Gardner said that before emergency personnel arrived, he went around to the back of the house and broke a window, yelling for those who were still inside to get out the back. Gardner said it was not possible to get out through the front of the house.

Neighbors for about 13 years, Gardner said that the Grossmans are "very good Christian people. You couldn't ask for better neighbors."

Few other neighbors ventured out into the below-zero temperatures this morning to watch firefighters work to extinguish the blaze. Weather conditions hampered firefighting efforts, with a layer of ice causing emergency personnel to slip and slide on the front yard and street.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

Tom Drummond, a full-time firefighter with Warsaw Fire Department, hurt his back when he slipped on the icy yard surface and landed on his air pack. He was treated at KCH and released. WFD volunteer firefighter Fred Parrett was taken to KCH for treatment of possible frostbite to his hands.

Warsaw Street Department crews spread salt heavily through the area to help firefighters.

Heavy smoke, visible from more than a mile, rose from the burning home. Rodney Grossman was coughing and gagging when he came outside, according to Warsaw Fire Chief Ken Shepherd. Officials said that Mr. Grossman woke up and saw the smoke in the house and told his son to get out and call 911. Other family members couldn't get out or didn't know the house was on fire.

One of the girls' bodies was found in a hallway outside a bedroom, according to Kosciusko County Coroner Larry Ladd. He said that Kelly Grossman was found in a bed in a southeast bedroom of the home and the other girl was in a northeast bedroom.

Shepherd said that neither the cause nor origin of the fire has been determined. The investigation is being handled by the Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office and the Indiana State Police technicians, with WFD and Squad 70, Kosciusko County's fire investigation team, as secondary investigatory agencies, Shepherd said.

Also unknown is whether the family had smoke detectors in the home. Shepherd said if there were alarms, they were destroyed due to the intensity of the fire.

Officials were still on the scene at press time. A press conference was scheduled at 11 a.m. today. [[In-content Ad]]