MAHONING TOWNSHIP -- A 9-year-old girl is dead and two people were hurt after an early morning fire in Carbon County.
It happened just before 2 a.m. Saturday at a home on Beaver Run Drive in Mahoning Township near Lehighton.
"It's a shame what happened to the little one," said neighbor Richard Sillers.
Troopers say the 9-year-old girl was found inside her bedroom.
The loss is leaving the community heartbroken.
"I'm getting choked up a little bit, wonderful people, wonderful father," neighbor Roman Strockyj said.
"The family was very loving, and the little girl I'm going to miss. We used to sit and watch her play with her brother," Sillers said.
There's little to nothing left of the home. Out back, a tree house still stands as a reminder of all that was lost to the flames.
"I used to love to hear children laugh. It's music to your ears when children laugh," Strockyj said.
That laughter now silenced by the fast-moving fire in the middle of the night. Neighbors are praying for the family--a father, mother, and a brother--forever scarred by such a horrible event.
"I cannot comprehend how horrible it is for him and for the mother and the other boy who was burned badly," Strockyj said.
"The kids are great. The little one will be greatly missed," said Sillers.
There is still no cause for that deadly fire, and the victims' names have not been released.
The American Red Cross is helping the family and plans to send volunteers around the neighborhood Monday to offer free smoke alarms and fire safety information.