PA - Ten Die in Dwelling Fire - Nescopeck, Luzerne County - 5 August 2022

[SuziQ]

At least 10 people have been killed in residential fire in PA At least 10 people have been killed in residential fire in PA via https://dailym.ai/android

 

[MsBetsy]

At least 10 people have been killed in residential fire in PA At least 10 people have been killed in residential fire in PA via https://dailym.ai/android

Wow, 14 people and all those dogs living in one house? State Police are calling it a "complex criminal investigation." The neighbor stated he heard a loud pop, looked over at the house and it was already in flames. Arsen?

 

[btfly547]

Seems as if the fire was called in as the neighboring address. Harold Baker is a firefighter and went out on the call only to discover the call was actually to his in-laws home. He lost two children (I believe one was 19) as well as 3 grandchildren. Says his kids and grandkids were visiting their aunt/staying overnight.

'All lost' - Firefighter describes Nescopeck blaze that took family members

From the article:
Baker also happens to have family ties to all 14 people who were staying in the home. He says he has not seen or heard from 10 of those family members.

"I also lost my son, my daughter, grandson, two other grandkids in there, my father-in-law, my brother-in-law, and my sister-in-law. All lost."

According to Baker, there were also 13 dogs in the home. He says not everybody was living there; several people were just visiting family.

"The kids that were there and my two kids were just visiting their aunt and uncle. Those were the ones who own the house. They were there visiting and going into the pool and all that."

 

[btfly547]

Wow, 14 people and all those dogs living in one house? State Police are calling it a "complex criminal investigation." The neighbor stated he heard a loud pop, looked over at the house and it was already in flames. Arsen?

The 14 people I can kind of understand since 3 were little kids and 1-2 were older teens, all visiting and will usually sleep anywhere at those ages. How does one live in a home with 13 dogs? That seems like a lot.

I also wonder what makes this a criminal investigation and to be announced so soon as one?

 

[Richrd]

.

PA State Police Press Release:

https://www.psp.pa.gov/PIRRs/Shickshinny%20Press%20Releases/P_SHIC_05AUG2022_1435.pdf

Lehigh Valley Live:

7 adults, 3 kids dead in northeastern Pa. house fire; criminal probe underway

The children who died in the fire were ages 5, 6 and 7, Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release.

www.lehighvalleylive.com

Google™ Supplements & Updates:

Ten Dead - Nescopeck Fire - Google Search

www.google.com

Our Condolences to the
Baker, Daubert, and Slusser Families​

.

 

[MimosaMornings]

10 dead, including 3 children, after house fire in Pennsylvania, police say

Crews responding to the early-morning fire in Nescopeck would not initially get inside the home due to the flames and heat.

abcnews.go.com

 

[MsBetsy]

The 14 people I can kind of understand since 3 were little kids and 1-2 were older teens, all visiting and will usually sleep anywhere at those ages. How does one live in a home with 13 dogs? That seems like a lot.

I also wonder what makes this a criminal investigation and to be announced so soon as one?

The house looks very large compared to the others in the ABC article. I wonder if it was an old colonial style house, separated into a couple of apartments. I didn't realize the kids were just visiting, but yeah, that's a lot of dogs. Maybe some were outside dogs.

Officials must have some sort of evidence the fire was started intentionally. I don't know how they ruled out an accidental fire from within. If there was an explosion, it sounds like it happened where the porch was. I wondered if there was something flammable stored there, or a gas grill.

 

[Elley Mae]

A neighbor said they heard two gunshots shortly before they saw the burning home.

FF Battles PA Fire That Killed 10 Family Members

The overnight house fire in Nescopeck claimed firefighter Harold Baker's son, daughter, grandchildren and other family members.

www.firehouse.com

 

[MsBetsy]

A neighbor said they heard two gunshots shortly before they saw the burning home.

FF Battles PA Fire That Killed 10 Family Members

The overnight house fire in Nescopeck claimed firefighter Harold Baker's son, daughter, grandchildren and other family members.

www.firehouse.com

That was probably the explosion. According to a neighbor they were often out on the "cluttered" porch. I wonder if the two that escaped were there when it started. Either that or maybe on the opposite end of the house and got out quickly. It's also possible that it started accidentally.

Some articles quote police as saying it is a criminal investigation and others say that 'if' they find evidence it was intentional, they will begin a criminal investigation. Imo

 

[Elley Mae]

Baker said that the address initially given for the call was a neighboring home, but that he realized it was his family’s residence as the fire truck approached.

“When we turned the corner up here on Dewey (Street) I knew right away what house it was just by looking down the street,” Baker told the Citizens' Voice. “I was on the first engine, and when we pulled up, the whole place was fully involved. We tried to get in to them."

Pa. Blaze Kills Firefighter's 10 Relatives, 3 of Them Children

Authorities say a fast-moving fire killed seven adults and three children in northeastern Pennsylvania.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

Neighbors reported hearing a loud popping sound or explosion before seeing the front porch of the home rapidly consumed by flames. Some also reported hearing a young man screaming in front of the home, “They’re all dead."

Baker, who was relieved of his firefighting duties because of his relationship to the victims, said 14 people were living in the home. One of them was out delivering newspapers, and three others escaped, he said.

“The kids that were there and my two kids were just visiting their aunt and uncle," Baker told WNEP. "Those were the ones who own the house. They were there visiting and going into the pool and all that.”

 

[MimosaMornings]

10 Dead in Fast-Moving Pennsylvania Fire, Officials Say (Published 2022)

Among those killed in the blaze, at a home in Nescopeck in the northeastern part of the state, were several relatives of a firefighter who was at the scene.

www.nytimes.com

“A neighbor, Michael Swank, said he had awakened around 2:30 a.m. and heard popping noises, which he had at first thought were gunshots. He looked outside and saw the porch of a house across the street engulfed in flames. He said that the noises he had heard seemed to be cans of paint or propane tanks igniting and exploding.

“I knew the Fire Department was not going to make it in time” to rescue the occupants of the house, Mr. Swank said. He neither heard nor saw any activity to indicate anyone was trying to escape from the fire, he said.

“Boy, it was just a horrendous fire” that spread swiftly from the porch to the upper floors, he said, adding: “It was an inferno. God bless those children that were in there. They didn’t have a prayer.”

In addition to Dale Baker and Star Baker, the State Police identified the adults who died as David Daubert Sr., 79; Brian Daubert, 42; Shannon Daubert, 45; Laura Daubert, 47; and Marian Slusser, 54.

Mr. Swank said that tenants at the home seldom lived there for more than a year or two.”

So it was a rental? With no functioning fire alarms?

I thought three people were able to escape?

 

[Shamrock1]

Smoke inhalation killed at least 5 of 10 in Pa. house fire: coroner

A determination on the manner of death of the victims is pending the outcome of the fire investigation, the coroner’s office said.

www.pennlive.com

 

[Shamrock1]

10 Dead in Fast-Moving Pennsylvania Fire, Officials Say (Published 2022)

Among those killed in the blaze, at a home in Nescopeck in the northeastern part of the state, were several relatives of a firefighter who was at the scene.

www.nytimes.com

“A neighbor, Michael Swank, said he had awakened around 2:30 a.m. and heard popping noises, which he had at first thought were gunshots. He looked outside and saw the porch of a house across the street engulfed in flames. He said that the noises he had heard seemed to be cans of paint or propane tanks igniting and exploding.

“I knew the Fire Department was not going to make it in time” to rescue the occupants of the house, Mr. Swank said. He neither heard nor saw any activity to indicate anyone was trying to escape from the fire, he said.

“Boy, it was just a horrendous fire” that spread swiftly from the porch to the upper floors, he said, adding: “It was an inferno. God bless those children that were in there. They didn’t have a prayer.”

In addition to Dale Baker and Star Baker, the State Police identified the adults who died as David Daubert Sr., 79; Brian Daubert, 42; Shannon Daubert, 45; Laura Daubert, 47; and Marian Slusser, 54.

Mr. Swank said that tenants at the home seldom lived there for more than a year or two.”

So it was a rental? With no functioning fire alarms?

I thought three people were able to escape?

Most people - and certainly most landlords - have only an ionization smoke detector. These detect flames and are much slower to react to smoke - especially a slow, smoldering, smoky fire. Video illustrating ionization vs photoelectric below. If this was a slow smoldering fire, there may well have been perfectly functioning ionization alarms that didn’t sound until too late - particularly given that this was a smaller property packed with people/animals (and their belongings, presumably). Knowing where each body was found will be helpful in knowing when/if the alarms sounded. (Also, lots of kids tend to sleep through alarms - link at bottom).

Kids Can Sleep Through Traditional Smoke Alarms. Can Mom's Voice Do Better?

In a striking new study, only about half of 5- to 12-year-olds woke up to the sound of a typical smoke alarm.

www.huffpost.com

 

[MsBetsy]

10 Dead in Fast-Moving Pennsylvania Fire, Officials Say (Published 2022)

Among those killed in the blaze, at a home in Nescopeck in the northeastern part of the state, were several relatives of a firefighter who was at the scene.

www.nytimes.com

“A neighbor, Michael Swank, said he had awakened around 2:30 a.m. and heard popping noises, which he had at first thought were gunshots. He looked outside and saw the porch of a house across the street engulfed in flames. He said that the noises he had heard seemed to be cans of paint or propane tanks igniting and exploding.

“I knew the Fire Department was not going to make it in time” to rescue the occupants of the house, Mr. Swank said. He neither heard nor saw any activity to indicate anyone was trying to escape from the fire, he said.

“Boy, it was just a horrendous fire” that spread swiftly from the porch to the upper floors, he said, adding: “It was an inferno. God bless those children that were in there. They didn’t have a prayer.”

In addition to Dale Baker and Star Baker, the State Police identified the adults who died as David Daubert Sr., 79; Brian Daubert, 42; Shannon Daubert, 45; Laura Daubert, 47; and Marian Slusser, 54.

Mr. Swank said that tenants at the home seldom lived there for more than a year or two.”

So it was a rental? With no functioning fire alarms?

I thought three people were able to escape?

I have not read that there were no smoke detectors. They were apparently renting to buy and had only been there a couple of months.

If the fire was caused by a gas grill, that would explain how quickly the home was engulfed and why they couldn't get out in time.

One family member was reportedly on a paper route and it's not known where the other two were when the fire started. They may have already been outside at the time.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Pa. community reeling after house fire kills 10: ‘You can’t wrap your mind around it’

This is the way a small town gets through a big tragedy: Any way they can. But all together.

pennlive.com

 

[MimosaMornings]

Investigation into deadly Nescopeck fire continues

NESCOPECK, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) —The investigation into a fire that killed 10 people, including three children, in Nescopeck last Friday continues. Pennsylvania State Police are calling this …

www.pahomepage.com

“As Eyewitness News reported on Friday we know that a man was taken into custody by police at the scene that morning.

But investigators are not releasing details about that individual. Neighbors also tell us they saw a fire line.. burning from the front porch into the street.”

What?!?

 

[MsBetsy]

Investigation into deadly Nescopeck fire continues

NESCOPECK, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) —The investigation into a fire that killed 10 people, including three children, in Nescopeck last Friday continues. Pennsylvania State Police are calling this …

www.pahomepage.com

“As Eyewitness News reported on Friday we know that a man was taken into custody by police at the scene that morning.

But investigators are not releasing details about that individual. Neighbors also tell us they saw a fire line.. burning from the front porch into the street.”

What?!?

I was wondering why police called this a "complex criminal investigation" so quickly.

One of the three survivors must have lived there if he was out delivering papers. I never knew they delivered that late. Maybe the other two were up waiting for him to get done? If so, they might have seen or heard something.

What could have caused the line of fire? Something on the porch that exploded?

 

[evilwise]

I was wondering why police called this a "complex criminal investigation" so quickly.

One of the three survivors must have lived there if he was out delivering papers. I never knew they delivered that late. Maybe the other two were up waiting for him to get done? If so, they might have seen or heard something.

What could have caused the line of fire? Something on the porch that exploded?

For there to be a fire line and someone on the scene arrested, most likely that person poured gasoline all over the porch (and other flammable tanks/cans) then poured a trail of gasoline to a clear distance and lit it like a fuse

 

[MimosaMornings]

Volunteer firefighter says Luzerne County blaze claimed the lives of 10 family members

Pennsylvania State Police have released then names of the seven adults killed in a fast-moving fire in Nescopeck.

www.wfmz.com

Check out the picture in this article.

 

[MsBetsy]

For there to be a fire line and someone on the scene arrested, most likely that person poured gasoline all over the porch (and other flammable tanks/cans) then poured a trail of gasoline to a clear distance and lit it like a fuse

That makes sense, but I wonder who could do this to an entire family, including children. It certainly doesn't sound accidental.