Advertisement Fire Marshal: Living room fireplace ignited deadly fire Speer family, including four children, died in the Cass County, NE fire Share Shares Copy Link Copy

An investigative team with the Nebraska State Fire Marshal's Office says a living room fireplace is what started a fire that killed all six members of the Speer family on October 20th.Mike and Michelle Speer, with their four children all died in the blaze. A family member said firefighters found each of their bodies in beds.Initial autopsy reports suggest all six people died from smoke inhalation.Investigators say embers or ash from the living room fireplace ignited carpet and other furnishings in the living room."Consequently, the smoke produced from the fire, filled the house and led to the death of all six occupants," according to the report released by the state fire marshal.The report says exterior walls and portions of the home's roof collapsed before crews arrived.LINK: Read the full report hereBellevue Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Wagner says regardless of whether they respond to a tragic scene, area fire departments evaluate what happened to prevent other tragedies.The state fire marshal's office says ashes and embers from the Speers' fireplace ignited the living room, causing the house to collapse Thursday morning.And it was so fast, it appears the victims had no time to escape.“What may have happened -- this is pure speculation -- is if there was a fire in the fire place, as the fire marshal's saying, and it got out of the fire box and into the walls, it went up probably went into the attic and was over the top of them before they even knew it,” Wagner said.Fire crews want you to know how to protect your family.“You need to make sure your chimney flue is all the way open, that your chimney stack is operating properly, it doesn't have the build up inside of it. And if you’re talking about gas, make sure your pipes are big enough to exhaust,” says Captain Chad Jeffers, with the Papillion Fire Department.Captain Jeffers showed us photos from a fireplace fire a few years ago.He says you need to have a protective screen and a plan to get rid of the ashes and embers.“You want to put it in a non-combustible container, a metal bucket, or metal trash can, and then five or six feet away from your house,” he said.Funeral services for the Speer-Perez family are Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. at Calvary Christian Church in Bellevue.