LANSFORD, Pa. — UPDATE: The names and conditions of the fire victims have been released.
Authorities say Jonathan Honey died in the fire yesterday along Bertsch Street in Lansford.
His wife, Kierstyn Honey, suffered two broken hips and a broken vertebrae after jumping from a window with her one-month-old baby, Jonathon, in her arms; he suffered a bone separation in his neck.
Police say 6-year-old Jeremiah Honey jumped from the highest point of the house; he did not break any bones but is on a ventilator.
Jaxton Honey, who is under five, has second-degree burns.
The three kids are in the ICU.
Firefighters believe the fire started on the first floor and the cause remains under investigation.
Original story:
Smoke billowed out of a home along West Bersch Street in Lansford.
Officers say the father of the family who lived here, was found dead inside the home.
The mother and her three young children narrowly escaped. They are all in serious condition at the hospital.
Officers say the mother jumped from a window with her baby in her arms. Neighbors say they ran to help when they saw children screaming and banging on the windows.
Michael Ingrassia lives across the street. He made it just in time to help one of the boys as he jumped from a second-floor window.
“I wasn't able to hands-on catch him but I was there to support his fall without him hurting himself and then I comforted him the rest of the way,” said Ingrassia.
Joanne Chambers grabbed her fire extinguisher and went into the house. She said the smoke was dense.
“I opened the door and it was so thick. I put my mask on and I couldn't even breathe. I couldn't breathe. I was so scared the kids were still in there,” said Joanne Chambers of Lansford.
Eventually, all of the kids and their mother made it out.
Firefighters say it seems the fire started on the first floor. The double block home was destroyed on both sides, a third home next door is also damaged.
Firefighters say the wind made things much more difficult.
“It's bad enough that you're battling the structural components as well as the fire but then you're battling the weather and the elements outside. The wind definitely didn't help,” said Fire Chief Greco of the Lansford Fire Department.
A state police fire marshal is looking to determine the cause of this deadly fire.