FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, CARBON COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A deadly fire that claimed the lives of 4 children and their mother has rattled the Lehighton community and the surrounding area. That community is now stepping up to help in any way they can in the wake of the horrific loss.
28/22 News Reporter Avery Nape was in Lehighton on Wednesday evening to learn how people there are coping with the tragedy and assisting those affected by the fire.
Rows of stuffed animals, flowers, and cards line the steps of this home on Willow Street in Franklin Township on Wednesday evening.
The display of community support came after a fire claimed the lives of four children, three young boys and a young girl, and their mother in the early hours of the morning.
"I was just in shock, because I've got grandkids of my own and I just couldn't believe how bad it was, and I didn't think it was," Lehighton resident Robert Hoffman told 28/22 News.
Hoffman lives just down the street from the home and says he spoke with the family from time to time while walking his dog. He says when he heard the news, he decided to lay down a few stuffed animals in their memory.
A neighbor tells me what started with just three stuffed animals has turned into an outpour of community support.
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A couple, we're told, was living on the other side of the double block home; they made it out, but with their home now gone, they will need all the help they can get, and Saint Peter's Community Center has stepped up to lend a helping hand.
"Anything that they need, we just want to be the hub that we can be the bridge between the people who need it and the people who are willing to give it," Tammy Hoffman from Lehighton added.
That bridge, Hoffman says, will open at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. She says the couple is currently working with the Red Cross to find temporary housing.
With nowhere to store long-term necessities, though, she says they're focusing on gathering the essentials.
"We're going to try to focus on their immediate needs of the family, and then those very specific things they might need over the next 48 hours, to a week, to two weeks," Tammy continued.
As of Wednesday night, they're hoping to collect monetary donations, gift cards, clothing items, and toiletries. Once that couple gets back on their feet, the center says they'll be walking with them every step of the way.
There's no word yet on what may have sparked this fire.
Saint Peter's Community Center advises that anyone interested in donating to the affected families should contact the center directly.
You can give the center a call at (484) 464-4474, or go online for more information.
Their contact information, including their address and Venmo link for monetary donations, can be found online.
