A father and his two school-age sons lost their lives on Christmas day in Pennsylvania, USA, when a fire broke out in their house, most likely due to a combination of electrical problems and the dried Christmas tree.
"The source of the fire was a Christmas tree, so we're not sure if it was due to electricity or a withered old Christmas tree," said firefighter Doug Wilhelm.
"It is with unbearable sadness that we share with you this Christmas morning the tragic news that the King family, in a fire, lost Eric's father and two Richland Elementary School students, Liam and Patrick," Facebook said in a statement. Saturday the Quakertown School Community.
Police and firefighters received a call at 1:22 a.m. and rushed to the house, where all five members of the family were sleeping on the second floor when the fire broke out.
Firefighters made several attempts to enter the house when they arrived, but found it very difficult due to the size of the fire.
When firefighters finally managed to enter, they located the bodies of Eric King, 41, and his two sons. The mother and the eldest son of the family escaped with minor burns.
Both dogs of the family died from the fire.