POTTSTOWN, Pa .– Montgomery County officials are expected to release more information Tuesday about a house fire that claimed the lives of three people.
Neighbors reported the fire around 2 a.m. Monday in the East Fifth Street unit block in Pottstown.
Authorities say Joseph Norton, 48, and his teenage son were killed.
Norton’s wife was airlifted to a Lehigh County hospital, where she died Monday evening, firefighters said.
The Lehigh County Coroner’s Office identified her as Bernadette Norton, 47.
Neighbors say they noticed the fire in the twin house and reported a police officer who was nearby. They say it was heartbreaking to watch the scene unfold.
“My daughter kept knocking on the door and the firefighter took the daddy and the dog and the mum, and she said, this little boy is out there somewhere, because they’re not going anywhere one without the other, ”said neighbor John Weston.
A firefighter has been rushed to hospital but is expected to make a full recovery. Teams on site said he had been treated for heat exhaustion, dehydration and smoke inhalation.
Investigators said the fire appeared to be concentrated on the first floor. Firefighters said they had so far found no working smoke detectors in the house.
