CARROLLTON, Kentucky — Three victims have been recovered from inside a home that burned in downtown Carrollton on Thursday.
Friday morning, Carrollton Police Det. Dave Roberts said first responders will continue recovery efforts throughout the day.
The three people who were found dead inside the home have not been identified.
Authorities said several people lived inside the home, but it's unclear how many people were there at the time of the fire.
In an update Friday afternoon, police said it's likely one other person was inside the home, however their body has not yet been found.
One man who lived in the house wasn't there when the flames broke out, police added.
Nancy Hilton, a cousin by marriage to the mother who family members say died in the fire, knows they need support.
"Not just today or tomorrow, or even the rest of this week," she said. "For the weeks to come, because there's a lot of time that the family is gonna need lots of people."
Carroll County Emergency Management Director Tony Crutcher said crews are meticulously working through the debris of the collapsed two-story home.
He said heavy machinery is removing large pieces of debris, but crews are also moving debris by hand to ensure they don't miss anything. Cadaver dogs are also being used to assist first responders.
"It's a lengthy process, it takes time," Crutcher explained. "We do not know how long this investigation will last as far as recovery efforts."
Police said the massive fire broke out early Thursday morning in the 200 block of 5th Street.
A young girl, who police said is approximately three years old, was rescued from the burning home when first responders arrived. The child was transported to the Carroll County Memorial Hospital but later airlifted to a Louisville hospital.
Police said the toddler remains intubated but her condition is "improving" as of Friday afternoon.
The community held a vigil outside the Carroll County Memorial Hospital late Thursday evening to grieve the loss of life.
"This community has pulled together like no community that I've been apart of," Roberts said. "It's a very tight knit community, and again, that's the reason I say we need to pray for this community. The whole community, when one hurts, the whole community hurts."
Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the fire.
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