A fire that tore through a Pennsylvania home killed 10 people – including three children – early Friday morning, all of them family members and linked to a volunteer firefighter who responded to the blaze.
Three children, ages 5, 6 and 7, and seven adults were killed in the Nescopeck fire, state police said. Three others were able to escape hell, according to first responders.
Nescopeck volunteer firefighter Harold Baker told The Citizens’ Voice of Wilkes-Barre that the victims included his son, daughter, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, three grandchildren and two other parents.
“When we turned the corner here on Dewey [Street] I immediately knew which house it was just by looking down the street,” Baker told the newspaper. “I was on the first engine, and when we pulled up the whole place was fully involved. We tried to get in touch with them.
Thirteen dogs were also in the house which caught fire around 2:30 a.m., Baker told WNEP. It was unclear if any of them survived.
“The children who were there and my two children were just visiting their aunt and uncle. They were the ones who owned the house. They were there to visit and get in the pool and stuff,” Baker reportedly said.
A loud banging or explosion was heard by neighbors, who reported seeing the house quickly burst into flames.
“They are all dead,” shouted a young man outside the house, neighbors reportedly said.
A “complex criminal investigation” was underway, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Derek Felsman said.
With AP wires