Two boys killed in blaze
Two boys were found dead inside their home after a fire destroyed a house in Schwenksville Wednesday.
State police confirmed that there were two fatalities after an early morning fire started at a home on the 900 block of Summit Avenue at around 5 a.m. Police said numerous neighbors called 911 to report the fire.
“Upon arrival, there was a fire at the location and three of the victims were outside the fire. Those victims were one adult male, one adult female and one juvenile female,” said Trooper Timothy Greene, public information officer. “Unfortunately there were two juvenile males that were located on the second floor de-
ceased.”
Police said the three individuals who made it out of the home were transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital.
Although state police have not released the names or ages of the deceased, or of those injured in the fire, Montgomery County Sheriff Sean P. Kilkenny identified one of the residents of the home as county deputy sheriff, Bryan Lukens. Lukens and his wife, Tracy, lost their home and their two young sons, 11-year-old Bryan Jr. and 6-year-old Parker, in the blaze, he said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lukens family as they grieve their losses,” Kilkenny said.
Employees at the county courthouse were stunned as news spread about the fire and the tragedy that had befallen Lukens, a popular deputy sheriff. Tears welled in the eyes of many county workers as they tried to console each other in courthouse hallways.
The county commissioners kicked off the annual holiday concert featuring the courthouse chorus by addressing the tragedy and asking for prayers for the Lukens family.
“Normally, this is a very, very festive occasion but I do need to take a moment this morning to ask all of you to keep one of the members of our Montgomery County family, a member from our sheriff’s office, in your thoughts and prayers. His family was struck by a tragic house fire early this morning and I ask that we all come together as a family, offer them the support that they will most certainly need in the upcoming weeks and months,” commissioners Chairwoman Val Arkoosh told the crowd attending the concert on the grand staircase of the courthouse. “Just keep them in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season.”
The concert continued but tears were shed by some spectators as one vocalist’s rendition of “Ave Maria” echoed in the cavernous grand foyer.
Schwenksville Elementary, where the two boys attended school, sent out a release Wednesday afternoon acknowledging the tragedy.
“It is with extreme sadness that I share with you that the house fire in Schwenksville took the lives of two of our boys early this morning. While we do not have all the details, I ask that you keep the Lukens family in your hearts at this very difficult time,” the letter read. “As the family’s needs are great, we will be reaching out to this very supportive community to provide them what we can. And as I asked this morning, please hug your children when they come home this afternoon. I am heartbroken and cannot begin to imagine the grief the Lukens are experiencing. Together, we can support one another.”
The school and Perkiomen Valley School District said counselors will be available all week to help the students.
A GoFundMe account has also been created to assist the Lukens.
“The family has lost everything and nothing can replace who and what they have lost. However, we are setting up this account with a beginning goal to raise at least $10,000 to provide them with some support when they are able to start piecing things back together. Whether that be a new home, clothes or whatever the family determines that they need as they begin to recover from this tragedy,” read the page.
The page raised almost $35,000 in a matter of hours.
According to information from Kilkenny, Deputy Lukens remained hospitalized with injuries in the burn unit at Lehigh Valley Hospital. Tracy and their 9-year-old daughter, Soffia, were released from Pottstown Hospital and have joined Deputy Lukens at Lehigh Valley Hospital.
The cause and origin of the fire are not yet known but are being investigated by the state police Fire Marshal Unit and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau Fire Marshal Unit. Authorities said it took officials about a half an hour to get the blaze under control.