Grand jury may hear fire evidence

By Staff
Tracy B. Cieniewicz, Hartselle Enquirer
The Hartselle Police Department has presented evidence to the Morgan County district attorney's office regarding a fatal fire at Quail Run Apartments last month.
According to Capt. Ron Puckett, Hartselle police investigators and Fire Chief Rickey Joe Smith hope to present the evidence to a grand jury in September.
"I feel that the evidence is strong enough for an indictment to come from the grand jury," Puckett said.
Puckett said a Quail Run resident and her boyfriend were brought in for questioning the night of the fire. No charges were filed, but Puckett said one suspect emerged from the investigation. HPD has not released the name of the suspect.
Residents at Quail Run told investigators that the couple argued and may have burned pictures on an upstairs balcony of Building C near the Salazar's apartment.
"We know that the fire started in a chair on the balcony," Puckett said.
The apartment building has been treated as a crime scene by local and state investigators. Mario Salazara, 25, his wife Maria, 22, and their infant son, Kevin, died in their upstairs apartment on July 28 of smoke inhalation. State Fire Marshal John Robison has not issued an official cause of the fire.