7 adults, 3 kids killed in Pennsylvania blaze

NESCOPECK, Pa. — Fire tore quickly through a house in the wee hours of Friday, killing seven adults and three children and horrifying a volunteer firefighter who arrived to battle the blaze only to discover that the victims were his family, authorities said.

A criminal investigation into the fire is underway, authorities said. The children who died in the fire were ages 5, 6 and 7, Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release.

Nescopeck Volunteer Fire Co. firefighter Harold Baker told the Citizens’ Voice newspaper of Wilkes-Barre that the 10 victims included his son, daughter, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, three grandchildren and two other relatives.

He told WNEP-TV that 13 dogs were also in the home but did not say if he knew whether any survived.

The fire in Nescopeck was reported around 2:30 a.m. One person was found dead inside the single-family home shortly after emergency responders arrived, while two other victims were found later in the morning.

Neighbors reported hearing a loud popping sound or explosion before seeing the front porch of the home rapidly consumed by flames. Some also reported hearing a young man screaming in front of the home, “They’re all dead.”

Baker, who was relieved of his firefighting duties because of his relationship to the victims, said 14 people were living in the home. One of them was out delivering newspapers, and three others escaped, he said.

Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Derek Felsman said a “complex criminal investigation” was underway.

Sean McKeag/Associated Press Crews work to demolish a house that was destroyed by a fire in Nescopeck, Pa. Ten of the 14 people who lived there died. A criminal investigation is underway. A volunteer firefighter who responded to the blaze said the victims were his relatives.