FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, CARBON COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — It has been a somber day in one part of Northeastern Pennsylvania after a fire destroyed a home and took the lives of five people. That tragic fire happened in Carbon County, claiming the lives of five people, including four school-age children.
"Shock, devastated, you're distraught, you know," Lehighton Area School District Superintendent Jason Moser stated.
That was Moser's reaction when he arrived at the scene of a house fire on Willow Street in Franklin Township.
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The superintendent received a call from a fellow administrator at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
"I was able to get there relatively quickly and found out some of the information. I knew the house was certainly pretty much ruined, and then learned that there were five fatalities: three of which were school-age children," Moser continued.
The school district sent out a message to those in the area offering its condolences.
Late last night and early this morning, our community suffered a tragic loss in a house fire. While details are not publicly available as of yet, we have reason to believe that three Lehighton students, a Kindergartner, a First Grader, and a Ninth Grader, perished in this tragic event.
There are no words available to express how deeply sad this is for everybody. Please keep the families, friends, classmates, and anyone who has a close relationship with the deceased in your thoughts and prayers.
As a school district, we are coordinating to ensure that all of our students have the support system necessary to help them through this community loss. We will have dedicated spaces in each of our buildings available for any children who need to speak with qualified professionals to provide emotional support. We are also coordinating with local entities to provide additional qualified professionals to be in our buildings. Should your child need to meet with someone, either they or you can reach out to the building.
Tragedies such as this are incredibly difficult and felt very deeply throughout the entire community. 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. These are also the times when strong communities, such as the Lehighton Area School District, closely come together to positively support one another, and I have no doubt that we will do just that in order to help our community through this difficult time.
Lehighton Area School District Superintendent Jason Moser
The Carbon County Coroner's office put out a release on Wednesday stating the five fatalities included an adult woman, three young boys, and a young girl. Their names have not been shared yet.
"I'll be honest, there are no words that can express the sadness, the devastation that I feel for them personally, but I think that so many others feel. You know, obviously, you want to be able to say something that makes a difference. I think, in this case, there isn't anything that we can say that's going to actually make a difference beyond, 'we are here for you," Moser added.
In the aftermath of this tragedy, Moser says the school will have dedicated spaces in the buildings for children and adults to speak with professionals.
He also believes there is no doubt that the community will come together to mourn the loss of this family.
"I can tell you, it's a tight-knit community, and people are there for each other when they're needed," Moser continued.
Fire investigators were on the scene earlier in the day, but the cause of the fire is still unknown.
