Pastor, two sons killed in Tuesday morning house fire in Pickaway County
A pastor and two of his children died early Tuesday in a fire at a Pickaway County home.
Mark Robinette, 55, the vocational pastor at Foundation Church in Mount Sterling, and two of his sons, Gideon Robinette, 17, and Liam Robinette, 10, died in the fire, according to the Pickaway County Coroner's Office.
The fire was reported about 12:30 a.m. on the 11000 block of Ballah Road, also known as Township Road 159, near Orient.
The Pickaway County Coroner's office confirmed three people died in the fire. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined and remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal's office.
Three other people suffered injuries in the blaze. All three injured were released from an area hospital later Tuesday morning.
According to his biography on the church's website, Robinette and his wife have eight children. Robinette also was involved in missionary work in Myanmar.
Robinette's brother confirmed his death on social media Tuesday afternoon, saying the pastor died while attempting to get two of his children out of the house. The post said Robinette managed to help his wife and two other children out of the home before he perished.
A GoFundMe, organized by a family friend, has been created to help the remaining family members who escaped the fire.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Pastor, two sons killed in Tuesday morning fire in Pickaway County
