Authorities have been unable to find enough forensic evidence to pinpoint the cause of an Oct. 1 motor-home fire near Foy’s Lake that killed an 8-year-old girl, but it’s believed a kitchen fire ignited the blaze that destroyed the motor home.

Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said the girl’s mother told investigators that Autumn Hawk was in a bunk of the motor home when the fire started from a stove as the woman was cooking breakfast.

“There was nothing inconsistent with what the interviews revealed,” Curry said. “We interviewed everyone involved and we have been unable to refute that story.”

The child did not make it out of the flaming vehicle.

The motor home was so extensively damaged that a fire investigation team of law enforcement and fire officials was unable to determine what happened.

“The fire had consumed the motor home to the point where it was not possible for fire investigators to determine, based on the scene, the cause of the fire,” Curry said.

Curry said that the investigation is ongoing and the case will likely remain open for a while.

“Any time somebody dies, especially a child, we make sure we cover every possible base,” Curry said. “We frequently don’t close these cases in case there is further information.”

Autumn’s cause of death is listed as smoke inhalation and burns.

Curry said the girl was not in school at the time of the fire because she was developmentally disabled. Her two siblings who lived at the home were at school that day.

He said deputies had fielded numerous reports from the neighbors in recent months about suspected drug traffic into the property and about Autumn screaming.

“The child screamed,” Curry said, attributing the conduct to the developmental disability. “We had a lot of calls from the neighbors. We did respond and investigated them.”

A group of about a dozen neighbors plan to meet with the Flathead County Attorney’s Office on Tuesday because they feel there was not an adequate response to reports they filed with Child Protective Services prior to Autumn’s death.

A memorial service for Autumn is at 1 p.m. today at Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home.

Community members who were not related to Autumn held a vigil for her at Peterson Elementary School on Friday night.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459.