(LibertyInsider.org) — A father and his four young children were killed in a devastating house fire in Pennsylvania earlier this week. According to local reports, the blaze started inside the John family residence on Guy Street in Westmoreland County on March 20.
Exactly how or when the blaze began isn’t yet clear. However, a neighbor by the name of Jack Mull, who lives just two doors down from the Johns, was the first to spot it and call for help. He reportedly noticed flames shooting from the building just after midnight.
After instructing his daughter to call 911, Mull jumped into action to try and rescue the family. He initially attempted to enter the home via a main floor entrance but was unable to proceed as “it was just too hot, [there were] too many flames.”
Father and 4 children, ages 7 and under, killed in PA house fire that mom and 2 other kids escaped https://t.co/AR08Msw6bF pic.twitter.com/7cv8KHeN2S
— New York Post (@nypost) March 21, 2024
Miranda John, the children’s mother, had managed to climb onto the roof by that point with her one-year-old in her arms. Mull grabbed a ladder and went to try and help her climb down safely while firefighters, who had only just arrived, raced in to try and assist. They managed to safely bring the baby down, but Miranda attempted to go back for her other children.
Mull said Miranda refused to give up until it became obvious there was no way for her to get back inside. “I mean, it was her kids in there, you know, they’re very good parents, and they love their kids,” he said, according to CBS News.
Firefighters were eventually able to rescue the mother and her 10-year-old son, who suffered a broken leg in the incident. All three of the survivors were transported to a local hospital for care as first responders continued their desperate battle to fight back the growing inferno as it began to spread to the house next door.
The rescue team encountered problems when the fire hydrants on Guy Street failed to supply enough water. According to Fire Chief Bill Frye, these technical difficulties forced them to rely solely on tank water instead. When it ran out, they had to wait for other tankers to arrive. “By that point, the fire was well involved,” he said, according to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4, “and we had to pull our guys out.”
Firefighters eventually regained control of the blaze. However, Tyler J. King, 27, and his four children, Kyson, 7; Kinzleigh, 6; Keagan, 3; and newborn Korbyn, tragically perished at the scene.
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