Official Cause & Victim Ages Released in Amish School Explosion That Burned Three Girls in Pennsylvania
A new report at the Erie Times-News confirms the official cause of Friday’s fire and explosion at an Amish school in Crawford County, PA, which left three young girls with serious burns. The ages of the victims have also been released.
The cause of the fire was as reported earlier as the wrong sort of fuel being used – but in a woodburning stove (to start a fire), not in a lantern as initially suggested by one of the fire responders. That’s according to Pennsylvania State Police, who released the information March 30th.
There is no indication in the report as to what fuel was used, though some have suggested that there gasoline was used instead of, or mixed with, kerosene.
Kerosene alone has a much higher flashpoint than does gasoline. This article at the National Library of Medicine has more on the dangers of gasoline being mixed with kerosene:
Explosions can result from the mixing of gasoline with kerosene. This can arise, for example, from use of the same container for the two fuels.
Even a small amount of gasoline, with its much lower flash-point and higher vapor pressure, mixed with kerosene can lead to kerosene devices exploding.
Another common cause of fires and explosions is adding more kerosene fuel to a device when it is lit.
I’ll emphasize again that it’s not been officially stated that gasoline was the “wrong fuel” used here, though that has been suggested, including in this update from a local source.
The Girls’ Ages – and The Children Who Escaped
As to the ages of the three girls, two of them were in fact schoolchildren age, while the third was a young teacher – ages 6, 11, and 17. A report in the Corry Journal cited Spartansburg Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chris Hughes as saying that the two schoolchildren’s injuries were more severe than those of the teacher.
They weren’t the only ones in the schoolhouse at the time. While one report had it that “between 12 and 15 children escaped without injury”, the latest reporting suggests it was a bit less – a total of 10 other children.
Spotting the Fire
Another detail in the report is how the fire was spotted. It was actually someone passing by in their car who saw “unusual smoke coming from the school building”, followed by an explosion.
That to me suggests that it was likely promptly reported, if a person driving saw it happen. If there were no non-Amish around, it may have required a child or other Amish person to become aware of the fire, and then locate a phone to get the call in (assuming they have no mobile phone access).
And depending on the phone setup in a given community, that might mean tracking down a non-Amish neighbor – though most Amish communities do have some sort of access to phones without relying on borrowing those of English neighbors.
This further suggests that the fire moved quickly; assuming the call came in promptly via that witness at 9:25 AM, since when the first crews arrived, they “found the schoolhouse fully involved in fire and on the ground.”
There has been no public update as to the three girls’ condition, but we will update that here if and when it becomes known, along with any information on fundraisers, should one be set up for them.
amazing. thats commitment.
commeth the next oppenheimer
Fire Victims
Praying for those young ladies and families.