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

Harold Baker and other volunteer firefighters told Newswatch 16 about the blaze that took the lives of family members early Friday.

NESCOPECK, Pa. — Newswatch 16 stopped by the Nescopeck volunteer fire station, where family members gathered after the tragic fire early Friday.

Crews were called to a single-family home along the 700 block of First Street in Nescopeck around 2:30 a.m. Friday.

Troopers said ten people died in the fire; three were able to escape.

A firefighter at the station said his children and grandchildren were in the home, and all are currently missing.

"I couldn't get in there to save them. That is the biggest thing that has been on me. I couldn't get in there to save them," said Harold Baker, a firefighter with the Nescopeck Volunteer Fire Company.

Baker tells Newswatch 16 that he was one of the first people on the scene when flames broke out at this home along 1st Street in Nescopeck.

"We pulled up and the whole place was fully involved. We tried to get in to them, but there was no way to get in to them," Baker said.

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."

The Red Cross is providing counseling services to the family and first responders.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help.

You can also reach out to the Nescopeck Volunteer Fire Company.

Our hearts go out to all those affected by the devastating fire in Nescopeck this morning. Come join us on Sunday at the...

Posted by Bandit's Roadhouse on Friday, August 5, 2022

See Emily Kress' story about the fire:

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