LANSFORD, Pa. — Police said 30-year-old father Jonathan Honey died in the fire at his home in Lansford.
His wife Kierstyn and their three little boys, ages seven, two, and one month are all in the hospital; some with broken bones and others with burns.
It was a desperate attempt to get out; the mother jumped from a window with her one month old baby in her arms.
Relatives say Jonathan Honey died trying to save his children.
"He was a fantastic father and husband. He would do anything for anybody. He would do anything for his wife and children, which, is exactly unfortunately, the reason he's not here today," relative Desirae Berger said.
Because the family lost everything they own in this fire, people have started collecting donations.
Berger has a box for clothes, toys, and diapers outside her home in Nesquehoning.
She's also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the mom and her sons once they get out of the hospital.
A separate GoFundMe hosted by the family is also raising money for funeral expenses.
"Obviously, it's not going to be cheap when they get out or an easy recovery so it's going to take a lot of help and unfortunately, a lot of resources and money that the family doesn't have," Berger said.
A state police fire marshal is still looking into the cause of the fire.
Authorities said the home went up like a tinderbox.
"There was a very heavy volume of fire that spread very, very rapidly," Lansford Police Chief Jack Soberick said. "Something spread that fire so quickly, that it cut the exits off for escape."
The family said funeral arrangements for Jonathan Honey have not yet been made.
