QUAKERTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A Bucks County community is in mourning after a family's home caught fire Christmas morning, killing a father and two of his young sons.
The fire was reported around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, along Essex Court in Quakertown. By the time firefighters arrived, the home was engulfed in flames.
Officials said Eric King, a 41-year-old father and two of his sons, 8-year-old Patrick and 11-year-old Liam, did not survive the fire.
Fire marshals and police are still investigating the fire, however they say it appears to have started around the family’s Christmas tree and lighting.
A post from the Quakertown School District said the boys attended Richland Elementary School. Their mother Kristin and 13-year-old son Brady were able to escape, and were treated at a local hospital.
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The district's statement read in part, "This news is devastating for the district community and the Quakertown area at large. Eric and Kristin are very active in the community, and the kind of people who make this a special place to live and attend school."
School officials are in the process of setting up a support hotline for the community.
A GoFundMe set up for the family raised more than $200,000 in just a few hours.