Penn.: Amish mother and her 6 children killed in home explosion
OAN Staff Lillian Mann
2:00 PM – Monday, April 20, 2026
An Amish mother and her six children were killed on Sunday when a massive explosion leveled their home in Lamar Township, Pennsylvania. The blast, which occurred at around 8:30 a.m., ignited a fire so intense that arriving crews were unable to enter the structure to perform a rescue.
Authorities believe the tragedy was likely caused by a propane leak originating inside the residence, though a formal investigation remains underway.
The victims have been identified as 34-year-old Sarah Stoltzfus and her children — four sons and two daughters, ranging in age from 3 to 11.
All seven were trapped inside and pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband and the children’s father, David F. Stoltzfus, was not at the residence at the time of the explosion. The family, members of the local Old Order Amish community, had reportedly moved into the Clinton County home only a few months prior.
Christina Duck, a neighbor of the family, told WNEP-TV that the explosion was so powerful that she could feel the impact from inside her own home.
“And I heard a boom and I could feel it, and I got up and looked out the window and I could see the flames through the windows, and I come running outside and within a minute the whole house was completely engulfed,” Duck said. The family moved in a couple of months ago, she later added, noting that she often saw the children outside playing.
The Pennsylvania State Police, alongside the Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit based in Montoursville, are currently conducting an investigation into the cause of the blast.
The lead investigator has been identified as Trooper Stephen Schramm of the Montoursville Fire/Explosion Investigation Unit. The probe is being handled as both a fire origin investigation and a death investigation.
Pennsylvania State Police have specifically clarified that while the interior propane leak is the primary suspect, the exterior propane tanks remained completely intact and did not contribute to the explosion.
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