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 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 . The Nescopeck fire was reported around 2:30 a.m. One person was found dead inside the detached house shortly after emergency services arrived, while two other victims were found later in the morning. Some people were able to get out of the burning home safely, authorities said. Baker said the address initially given for the call was a neighboring house, but he realized it was his family’s residence as the fire truck approached. “When we turned the corner here on Dewey (Street) I knew right away which house it was looking down the street,” Baker told Citizens’ Voice. “I was in the first engine and when we pulled up, the whole place was fully engaged. We tried to get into them.” Neighbors reported hearing a loud sound or explosion before seeing the home’s front porch quickly engulfed in flames. Some also reported hearing a young man scream in front of the house, “They’re all dead.” Baker, who was relieved of his firefighting duties because of his relationship with the victims, said 14 people lived in the home. One of them was outside delivering newspapers and three others escaped, he said. “This is a complex criminal investigation with multiple victims,” said Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Derek Felsman. Soldiers were interviewing survivors, he said. Copyright © 2022 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
