An Amish woman and her six children, ranging in age from 3 to 11, were killed in a rapidly spreading house fire after an explosion rocked nearby homes in rural north-central Pennsylvania, authorities said.
Firefighters responded to a report that seven people were trapped after an explosion and fire broke out at a home in Lamar Township near Millhall in Clinton County on Sunday morning, but they were unable to search the home that was engulfed in flames, Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement.
All seven people died. Police identified them as Sarah Stoltzfus, 34, who had four sons, ages 11, 10, 5 and 3, and two daughters, ages 8 and 6.
An obituary posted online by a local funeral home said Stoltzfus was a member of the Old Order Amish Church community. Her husband, David Stoltzfus, allegedly died.
A police report released earlier showed her last name was spelled “Stolzfus.”
The cause is under investigation. Police said a propane leak inside the home could have caused the explosion and fire, noting that the external propane tank did not explode and was not a contributing factor to the explosion and fire.
Neighbor Christina Duck told WNEP-TV she was eating breakfast when it started.
“I heard a loud bang, I could feel it, I stood up and looked out the window and I could see flames through the window, I ran outside and within a minute the whole house was completely engulfed,” Duck said. Duck said the family moved in a few months ago, noting she often saw the children playing outside.
By the time firefighters got there, “the house was beyond saving, it was going up so fast,” she said.
WNEP-TV showed video of members of the Amish community arriving at the scene to clean up and pay their respects.
The Amish prioritize their deep Christian faith and family life, eschewing many modern conveniences. They wear traditional clothing and use horses and carriages for most transportation. They often spoke a German dialect called Pennsylvania Dutch.
Photo: This photo from WNEP Video shows first responders at the scene of an explosion and fire in Lamar Township, near Mill Hall, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, April 19, 2026. (WNEP via AP)
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