A tragic incident took place in 2021 which turned Christmas into a sad holiday for an entire community. At the time, emergency services were called to a home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania where a fire had broken out overnight. It was initially reported that the fire was sparked by lights on the family’s Christmas tree. The same was later confirmed. The incident reportedly took place at 1:20 a.m. in a family’s two-story home on Essex Court. A GoFundMe page set up at the time raised over $608,000.
A Christmas that provides light and joy to a home proved deadly for the family. Moreover, Wilson Martinez, a neighbor in the area told local news at the time, “I couldn’t see anybody, so I thought that they got everyone out, but it was sad to realize that not everybody was saved.” The fire took the lives of Eric King, 40, his sons, Liam, 11, and Patrick, eight, as well as their two dogs. Luckily, Eric’s wife Kristin and their oldest son Brady escaped the fire but the house was destroyed.
Deadly claims lives of father & 2 sons on Christmas
Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree said: “Three family members are deceased as a result of the fire. We are looking at the Christmas tree that may have ignited as a result of Christmas lights on that Christmas tree.” Moreover, McElree issued a warning for the rest of the residents. He said, “The evidence is very clear that it started in the Christmas tree. It was a real tree. A Christmas tree burns very quickly and very hot.”
Quakertown School District Superintendent Bill Harner issued a letter to the community saying, “It is with unbearable sorrow that I share with you this Christmas Day the tragic news that the King family, in a house fire early today, lost their father and two children, Richland Elementary School students, Liam, a fifth-grader, and Patrick, a third-grader. Mom and Brady, an eighth-grader at Strayer Middle School, thankfully survived. This news is devastating to the school district community and the Quakertown area at large. Eric and Kristin and their boys are very active in our community. The School District sends its heartfelt sympathy to the King family and their many friends and relatives. Please keep them in your prayers.”
