WILLOW SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) – Texas County officials say they might not be able to determine the exact cause a fire that killed a 16-year-old boy.

Sixteen-year-old Ian Hatfield died in the fire Thursday at a home on a rural road between Willow Springs and Houston.

Coroner Thomas Whittaker says the boy’s father tried to rescue his son with a ladder but was unsuccessful. The boy apparently tried to escape by getting on a roof but he fell when the roof caved in.

The boy’s mother, 14-year-old brother and a cousin had gone to meet a school bus. Ian was home-schooled.

Authorities say the fire started in the kitchen near a wood stove but the damage was so severe it’s unclear what started the blaze.

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