Town mourns victims of house fire

MOUNT VERNON, Ind. — Authorities Saturday continued to investigate a fire that claimed the lives of a mother and her 4-year-old daughter, and the child’s teenage cousin.

The three people killed were Amanda K. Robb, 27; Aubrey Lynn Robb, 4; and Bailey K. Robb, 15.

Flower bouquets and other memorials were left on the doorstep of the Robb home at Mulberry and East Grant streets, which a day earlier was engulfed in flames.

Five other family members were inside when the fire started about 12:30 a.m. Friday. They included homeowner Billy Robb, who is the father of Amanda Robb and grandfather of Aubrey and Bailey.

Several people on Saturday slowly drove past the address at 1129 Mulberry St., which is just north of a railroad overpass. A U.S. Marine Corps flag flapped from atop a pole. Poems, a Hello Kitty doll and three candles were some of the items left at the home.

Amanda Robb was a 2005 graduate of Mount Vernon High School. She had an outgoing personality and cared deeply about her two daughters, said Brandi Robb, Amanda’s cousin.

“She had such a big heart,” said Brandi Robb, who is the same age as Amanda.

Aubrey Robb was a preschool pupil at CAPE Head Start. Bailey Robb was a freshman at Mount Vernon High School.

Also surviving the fire was Amanda Robb’s other daughter, Autumn Givens, along with another small child. Conditions of those who survived were not available Saturday.

The Mount Vernon Fire Department was assisted by Black Township firefighters. An investigation by the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office was ongoing Saturday.

The fire is believed to have started in or near a clothes dryer. Investigators believe the cause to be accidental, said Jay Price, Posey County coroner and chief of the Black Township Fire Department.

It’s also undetermined whether smoke alarms were present and working properly, Price said.

The American Red Cross is assisting the Robb family.

Funeral arrangements for Amanda, Aubrey and Bailey Robb are being handled by Schnieder Funeral Home. Memorial donations may be made to Riley Hospital For Children.