Fire damages Kan. house of 'In Cold Blood' murders

[August 23, 2011]  HOLCOMB, Kan. (AP) -- Firefighters have put out a small fire at a rural southwest Kansas farmhouse where four family members were killed in 1959, sparking Truman Capote to write the critically acclaimed book "In Cold Blood."

Garden City Fire Department Chief Allen Shelton says the fire started Sunday night in an upstairs bedroom, most likely after a cigarette was left unattended. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to a chair in the room, but the rest of the house sustained some smoke and water damage.

The Holcomb home was the scene of the horrific slayings of Herbert Clutter, a prominent farmer and community leader, and his wife, Bonnie Mae Fox, along with their children, 15-year-old Kenyon and 16-year-old Nancy.

The hunt for their killers mesmerized the nation, drawing journalists from across the country.

[Associated Press]

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