IDs given for elderly couple killed in Bucks County house fire
Investigators are looking into the possibility that a candle lit during a power failure sparked the blaze.
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A fatal fire early Wednesday was likely sparked by a candle, which an elderly couple apparently had lit during a power failure, according to Bensalem Township Fire and Rescue.
Albert Serventi, 89, and his wife Eileen, 86, were killed in the blaze, which engulfed and destroyed their home at 806 Kings Lane in Bensalem shortly after midnight, Fire Chief Rob Sponheimer said.
A neighbor called to report the fire around 12:30 a.m. It was unclear how long it had been burning, Sponheimer said.
A power failure was reported in the area around 8 p.m., he said. When power in the neighborhood was restored around 11:30 p.m., neighbors told authorities they had not noticed any flames.
Firefighters attempted to enter the two-story house but were forced out when the second-story floor collapsed, officials said. It took about an hour for them to bring the blaze under control.
Firefighters found the couple dead in their living room on the first floor, Sponheimer said. He did not know whether they had been asleep.
The two-story home of the couple, who lived alone, was destroyed, Sponheimer said, but no other homes in the neighborhood were damaged. He said the cause of the fire was accidental.