Group home fire in western Pa. kills 2 men

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - April 16, 2011 (WPVI) -- Authorities in western Pennsylvania say an early morning fire at a group home has claimed two lives.

Officials say the blaze at the Barber National Institute home for the developmentally disabled in Millcreek Township was reported just before 5 a.m. Saturday.

Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said the two men were pronounced dead at the scene at 7:30 a.m.

Cook says the victims are believed to be 61- and 64-year-old residents of the home. Their names are not being released pending confirmation of their identities.

Witnesses told the Erie Times-News that a staff member helped three other residents escape, and firefighters rescued a fourth from the ranch-style home, which was destroyed. One person was taken for treatment of smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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