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The blaze broke out on the 700 block of First Street in Nescopeck around 2:40 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police said. Ten people died fire while three adults were able to escape, police said.
The victims were identified by police as Dale Baker, 19, Star Baker, 22, Brian Daubert, 42, Shannon Daubert, 45, Laura Daubert, 47, Marian Slusser, 54, and David Daubert Sr., 79. The kids were ages 5, 6, and 7, authorities said.
A Nescopeck volunteer firefighter who responded to the blaze told WNEP that he has family ties to all of the people who were staying in the home.
"We pulled up and the whole place was fully involved," Harold Baker told the news outlet. "We tried to get in to them, but there was no way to get in to them." He noted that some of them are still missing.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe was launched for the family, who also lost several pets in the fire.
"We all awoke this morning to the tragic news of the house fire in our beloved little town with multiple people unaccounted for," reads the fundraiser launched by Robin Massina, who identified herself as the daughter of the borough's mayor.
"I have set up a bank account at First Keystone National Bank for funds from this gofundme to be transfered into," she wrote.
The page had raised nearly $3,000 as of Friday evening.
The local fire department was also asking for support on Facebook.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by authorities.
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