Father and son killed in Gary house fire, officials say

GARY, Ind. (WLS) -- Officials are investigating after two people were found dead after a house fire in Gary.

John Berry, 94, and Darrick Berry, 47, were found inside the home, located in the 4200-block of West 21st Avenue, after crews responded to the fire around 4:40 a.m. Thursday, officials said. The father and son were pronounced dead at the scene.

"My dogs woke me up, and I see the smoke and I called 911," said Thomas Mosely, a neighbor. "I went over to knock on the door and it was wide open, nobody answered."

Regardless of the answers, a large well-known Gary family is grieving for two of their loved ones.

"When we got here and we saw how everything was, it was just overwhelming," said Sheila Williams, a family friend.

Benny Berry, the son and brother of the two victims, says Darrick had been taking care of his father for the last few years.

"My dad lost my mom, my brother has been with him, he stayed here with him for the last three years. He's been right here, they're like lock step together," Benny Berry said.

Many in the community know the elder Berry as Deacon Berry from Mount Olive Baptist Church.

"John was like a father, my father died when I was in my early 20s and John was always there," said Cynthia Lovick, a cousin.

"I know that he's where he'd rather be - if there's a God in heaven for real, he's there," Benny Berry said.

A spokesman for NIPSCO says natural gas has been ruled out as a possible cause as crews continue to investigate.