“The birthplace is a Christmas tree, so we do not know if it was caused by electricity or a dry old Christmas tree,” Wilhelm told CNN Saturday.
Police and firefighters were called to the home around 1:22 a.m. Saturday, and five family members were sleeping on the second floor of the house when the fire broke out, Wilhelm said. At first responders made several attempts to enter the home, but the fire marshal said they had difficulty getting inside due to the size of the fire.
“It’s very dangerous to enter the front of a building with fire,” Wilhelm told CNN. “The front door and front window were blocked, at which point the fire had spread to the entire house. It was very difficult for firefighters to enter safely. It took a while.”
When firefighters finally entered the home, they found the bodies of Eric King, 41, and his two sons on the second floor of a two-and-a-half-story home, Wilhelm said. The mother and eldest son of the family survived with minor burns, were treated at Lehi Valley Hospital for injuries and were later released, Wilhelm said.
Bucks County Coroner Meredith Bucks said the autopsy office will conduct an autopsy of the three bodies later next week.
Both family dogs were charred in the fire.
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