Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 24, 1994                   TAG: 9412270079
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

FAMILY DIED OF SMOKE INHALATION

Few new details were released Friday about the fire that killed Cynthia Barton, 34, and three of her children. State police and Franklin County investigators continued to investigate the blaze.

Claude Webster, Franklin County's director of public safety, said the cause of the blaze is unknown, but that one possible culprit is a wood-burning stove that was in the house. He said state police are involved in the investigation because the fire "is a little unique" since there were four fatalities.

Firefighters found Barton and three of her children - MaKena Mussleman, 2; Cody Stinespring, 9; and Kelly Stinespring, 11 - inside a two-story wood-frame house in the Truevine section of the county.

The public safety director quashed rumors that Barton escaped the fire but returned to the burning home to rescue her children.

"We heard those reports," Webster said, "but further investigation has revealed that isn't the case."

Barton's 16-year-old daughter, Cristina Pruitt, survived but suffered third-degree burns on her face, neck and arms. She was in critical condition Friday evening at the University of Virginia Burn Center.

Barton's boyfriend, Don Quackenbush, 38, and his son, Don Jr., 15, were the only people to escape the house uninjured.

Webster said fire investigators questioned both Quackenbush and his son Friday. They won't release details of the interview until at least next week. Webster said investigators will compare their stories with physical evidence at the fire.

Keywords:
FATALITY