Gwinnett District Attorney: Patterson's inconsistent statement's prompted investigation

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - On February 9, hours after Brent Patterson escaped from the fire that claimed the life of his wife Kathy and their daughters Kayla and Madeline, he spoke to FOX 5 News. The Tucker homeowner said he and his family were upstairs when he heard loud popping sounds downstairs.

"I went downstairs and as soon as I opened the door it was intense. It exploded and the fire was going everywhere. There was nothing I could do," Patterson said the morning of February 10.

App users: Click here to watch video report

Tuesday, Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter said Patterson's story changed from one news outlet to another, drawing the attention of some investigators in his office who happen to be former arson investigators.

"How it happened, what he saw, how he described it… just started to make us realize there were some inconsistencies," Porter said.

Porter said his investigators conducted their own interview with Patterson days before this large team of fire, police, insurance and D.A. investigators showed up at the charred home on Pointer Ridge last Thursday. Structural engineers and other experts armed with heavy equipment spent hours sifting through the rubble--removing several items that the D.A. said will be tested and thoroughly examined over the next few weeks.

"We are investigating this as a crime to determine if a crime was committed. The only way we can know if a crime was committed, is to get to the truth," Porter said.