Mother, 6 kids killed in explosion, fire at Pennsylvania home
· Toronto Sun
An Amish woman and her six children died in a house fire after an explosion in rural Pennsylvania, authorities said.
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Firefighters responded to an explosion and fire at a home in Lamar Township. Seven people were trapped, but the house was so engulfed in flames that they couldn’t search, Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement.
All seven died in the fire. Police identified the victims as Sarah Stoltzfus, 34, her four sons, aged 11, 10, 5 and 3, and two daughters, 8 and 6. A local obituary identified the mother as a member of the Old Order Amish Church community. The family is survived by father David Stoltzfus, the obit said.
The cause of the fire is being investigated, police said, noting a propane tank leak inside the home may have caused the explosion and fire. Outdoor propane tanks did not contribute, police said.
‘There was no saving that house’
A neighbour told local news the fire accelerated quickly. She said she was eating breakfast with her daughter when she felt the explosion. They moved in months ago, she said, adding she would often see the children playing outside.
“I heard a boom and I could feel it and I got up and looked out the window and I could see the flames through the windows and I come running outside and within a minute the whole house was completely engulfed,” Christina Duck said. “There was no saving that house, it went up so fast.”
The local Amish, a deeply Christian community that often avoids modern conveniences and travels using horses and buggies, showed up at the scene to clean up the damage and pay their respects to the dead.