A father and two of his children died over the weekend when the Christmas tree that decorated their home caught fire, authorities said.
The fire chief of the town of Quakertown, Pennsylvania, Doug Wilhelm, told CNN television that at the moment it is unknown if the fire was caused by "an electrical problem or that the tree was very dry."
The fire started at dawn, when the five members of the family - a couple and their three children - were sleeping.
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Authorities received the notice at about 1:22 am (local time).
However, the first rescue teams to arrive at the scene
had many problems accessing the house due to the magnitude of the flames
, explained the fire chief.
"It
was too dangerous to enter
through the front of the building with the fire. The front door and window were blocked, the fire was going through the whole house at that time," Wilhelm told CNN.
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"It was very difficult for the firefighters to make a safe entrance. It took them a while," he said.
Once inside, they found the lifeless bodies of Eric King, 41, and two of his sons on the second floor.
The mother and older brother managed to survive, but had to be transferred to a nearby hospital for
minor burns
.
According to Wilhelm, they have already been discharged.
The Quakertown School District identified the minor victims as Liam and Patrick,
fifth and third grade students
respectively at Richland Elementary School.
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"With excruciating pain we share with you this Christmas morning the tragic news that the King family, in a fire at their home early today [Saturday], lost their father [Eric] and two elementary school students. Richland, "the school district said in a statement.
The forensic doctor will perform an autopsy on the victims.
The two family dogs were also killed in the fire.
