The remains of 10 people, including three children, were found in the rubble of a rural Pennsylvania home destroyed by fire Friday, state police said.
The deceased included seven adults ranging in age from 19 to 79, two boys ages 5 and 6 and a 7-year-old girl. according to the Pennsylvania State Police.
The adults were identified by state police as Dale Baker, 19; Star Baker 22; David Daubert Sr., 79; Brian Daubert, 42; Shannon Daubert, 45; Laura Daubert, 47; and Marian Slusser, 54. The names of the children have not been released.
One of the victims was an off-duty firefighter who was sleeping in the house at the time, the Nescopeck volunteer fire department said.
Three men escaped the blaze, the state police said in the statement.
The fire in the two-story home early Friday quickly roared to a force that repelled first responders, who were trying to rescue, authorities said Friday at the scene of the tragedy.
When asked whether the investigation was criminal in nature, state police said only that detectives want to find out the origin of the fire.
Rescuers discovered the remains after the fire was put down, authorities said.
“The house was completely destroyed by the fire,” the state police said.
The fire was reported before 3 a.m. in Nescopeck, a community of more than 1,600 people about 78 miles southwest of Scranton.
Jay Varela, Brittany Kubicko and Frank Salamone contributed.