An early morning fire in a northern Pennsylvania home that authorities said may have been sparked by a stove killed five teenagers and severely injured two adults.
Fire crews responding to the 3:30 a.m. Monday alarm on Slingerland Road in Genesee Township found the residence engulfed in flames, state police in Potter County said. Police said first responders discovered that “five juvenile victims were unable to get out of the residence."
Coroner Kevin Dusenbury identified the victims Tuesday as brothers Evan Erway, 14, Tristan Erway, 16, and Raymond Erway, 17, and two 16-year-old girls, Krysta Kane and Mikalah Roulo. All of the deaths were ruled accidental.
Police said a man and woman were able to escape but both “sustained serious injuries while trying to rescue the children,” police said. They were flown to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, where the woman was in the burn unit and the man in the inpatient unit, police said. There was no immediate word on their conditions.
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State police in Coudersport said the cause of the blaze was ruled undetermined due to extensive damage to the home, but they said it appeared to have started in the basement and there may have been an issue with a wood stove or its chimney.
Superintendent Nathan Jones of the Northern Potter School District said three of the victims were from the school district. He said in a letter to the community that counseling and bereavement support services will be available for all students and staff.
