Family of victims in East Huntingdon fire located
After more than two days of searching, members of the Westmoreland County coroner’s office have located family members of an elderly East Huntingdon couple killed in a fire Friday.
Coroner Tim Carson said Monday that they located a son in Swissvale.
Ernest E. Wright Sr., 87, and his wife, Nancy Wright, 82, died in the blaze on Espey Run Road. Officials had a difficult time finding family members to provide next of kin notification of the deaths, seeking out help from the public on the coroner’s Facebook page. They worked with state police and Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies.
The fire at the old farmhouse where the Wrights lived for decades was reported around 8:30 p.m. Friday in a rural part of the township west of Scottdale and not far from Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church. The home was destroyed in the blaze. Both died from injuries sustained in the fire.
A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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