More Than $600K Raised For Quakertown Family After Christmas Morning House Fire Killed 3

QUAKERTOWN, PA — Community members have rallied in support of a local mother and son after her husband and two sons died in a house fire early Christmas morning.

Multiple fire crews arrived to Eric and Kristin King's twin townhome on Essex Court off of Broad Street shortly before 1:30 a.m. Christmas Day.

Kristin and her son Brady, an eighth-grader, were able to escape from the home, being treated for burns and smoke inhalation at a nearby hospital. But 41-year-old Eric King and sons Liam, a fifth-grader, and Patrick, a third-grader, were found dead after firefighters brought the blaze under control around 2:30 a.m.

Quakertown Borough Police Chief Scott McElree said authorities believe the fire may have started with the family's Christmas tree igniting, as a result of lights on the tree.

A GoFundMe for the Kings has since raised $608,970 in just two days, receiving more than 9,000 donations. Family friend Kristin Randazzo, who created the fundraiser, has now closed it, though another is still posted through the website Give InKind and she said more supports will follow.

"On behalf of the King family, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all who have texted, emailed, messaged, called and donated," Randazzo wrote. "We have pulled together as a community and a nation — yes, this has reached a national level — to support an amazing family. We met our goal over 30 times! ... Kristin and Brady are overwhelmed by the amount of support they have."

Bill Harner, the superintendent of Quakertown Central School District, wrote with "unbearable sorrow" to school families Saturday, to share the news and offer condolences.

"This news is devastating to the school district community and the Quakertown area at large," he wrote. "Eric and Kristin and their boys are very active in our community. The School District sends its heartfelt sympathy to the King family and their many friends and relatives."

Harner said the district's Crisis Response Team and the Bucks County Intermediate Unit met to set up a series of supports for students, parents, staff, and faculty, beginning Sunday and continuing through when school reopens Jan. 4.

"You are not alone," he wrote.

The district created a resources page, which includes call and text lines, a listing of specific coping skills for grief and trauma, and books on loss that could aid community members.

"We are truly blessed to be a part of a wonderful community that is rich with faith, hope and love," Harner wrote. "It is certainly a day to remember these blessings and time to hold close those we love."

Friends recalled the Kings were an active family in the community, spending days and nights working with the Quakertown Youth Baseball Association.

Randazzo wrote that "you couldn't help but to love them."

Related: Bucks County Man, 2 Sons Die In Christmas Fire

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