KUNKLETOWN, Pa. — Fire tore through a home in Monroe County late Thursday night, taking the lives of five people–a woman and four young children.
A snowman still sits in the backyard of this home along Brook Road in Polk Township, near Kunkletown. In the front yard, caution tape remains along with a gaping hole from a blown-out window.
State police say the fire that did all the damage also took the lives of a 53-year-old woman and four children between the ages of 2 and 7, all from the same family.
The coroner identified the woman as Rosemarie La Barre, grandmother to the four siblings who died in the fire. La Barre was watching the children while her daughter and son-in-law were out of the home.
"Unbelievable," said neighbor Jo Rosebery. "I was devastated. I mean, I see them playing in the driveway, well, two of them anyway, all the time, and it was a total shock. Like, this can't happen here."
The fire started just before midnight. Several fire crews and EMS responded.
Troopers say the woman and children who died in the fire lived in the home. Two other people who also lived there were not home at the time.
Neighbors who knew the victims of this fatal house fire tell Newswatch 16 this is absolutely heartbreaking.
"It's a tragedy, and there's just really no words. There were children. I have four kids of my own. I saw those kids in the driveway all the time, riding their little bikes with the training wheels."
State police believe the fire started by accident.
"We have assistance for responding troopers get through this, but our hearts go out to the family members. This is absolutely devastating just to talk about. This shows it's not easy. I can't imagine what the family is going through," said Trooper Anthony Petroski.
State police are still investigating exactly how the fire started, but they believe it's not suspicious.
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