3 Toddlers Among 5 Dead from Honesdale House Fire

(Thursday, April 6) When fire sparks, it`s often smoke and not the flames that deprive victims of oxygen. That`s what firefighters think happened this morning when a Honesdale house caught fire. A mother, her three little kids and a friend died in a home that had several smoke detectors... None of which were working. A little truck, bubbles, three tiny bikes... These are the toys that one-year-old Savanna Rave, her two-year-old brother Dominick, and their four-year-old half sister Reese Moore used to play with. They lived with their mother Kristin Rave and her friend Heather Rake in the Honesdale home at 220 Broad Street. But when fire struck early this morning all five never made it out. "We had firemen coming out of the building in tears. We had others who after 10 or 15 minutes of after it began to tremble," said Honesdale Fire Chief Stan Pratt. Honesdale Fire Chief Stan Pratt says it`s the first fire related fatality the community has seen in 16 years. Neighbors never thought it could happen right next door. "When you know the people you`re close house wise, it`s upsetting," said neighbor, Danielle Menotti. Firefighters believe the victims died from smoke inhalation. They say the house had several smoke detectors but none of them were working. So at six this morning when the call rang out, and more than 50 firefighters rushed to the scene, it was already too late. Tonight most of those volunteers gathered at a meeting to deal with the day`s tragedy. Chief Pratt admits it`s not easy. "I`m hurting just like those other guys up there. I suppose I`m one of those older guys that figures he`s a tough guy. I went back into work and my boss came to see me and he put his arm around me I lost it, and I`m not ashamed to say that," said Pratt. Fire inspectors don`t know what caused the fire. They do say it appears to have started in the living room. An autopsy is underway to confirm the cause of death.