5 Dead, Including 4 Children, In Eastern PA Fire

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, PA — Five people, including four children, were killed in a fire in the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania late Tuesday night, according to authorities and media reports.

The incident occurred at a home on Willow Street in Franklin Township, about 27 miles northwest of Allentown.

The Lehighton Area School District issued a statement early Wednesday stating that three of the victims are in their school community: a kindergartener, a first grader, and a ninth grader.

"There are no words to express how deeply sad this is for everybody," Superintendent Jason Moser wrote in a note to the community. "Please keep the families, friends, classmates, and anyone who has a close relationship with the deceased in your thoughts and prayers."

Authorities have not yet publicly identified the victims, though multiple reports, including from NBC Philadelphia and 6ABC, indicate that five people were killed.

The cause of the fire is not yet clear. Authorities said that when they arrived, the home was already fully engulfed in flames.

A second alarm was rung, drawing a heavy response from departments around the region.

Pennsylvania State Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

Lehighton is making therapists available in dedicated spaces throughout their schools to help students process, grieve, and mourn.

"Tragedies such as this are incredibly difficult and felt very deeply throughout the community," Moser added in his note. "It is at times like this that we as a community need to be caring and thoughtful about how each other may suffer from the impact of this loss."

More information will be provided as it becomes available.