Five children die in house fire

PULASKI, Pa. -- A wood- and coal-burning furnace started a fire that destroyed an Amish family's wood-frame home and killed five children sleeping inside, authorities said Wednesday.

Rudy and Lizzie Wengerd escaped into the bitter cold with their four other children Tuesday night. A family friend said one of the boys leaped from the second floor and then caught his younger brother; the two other children climbed down a ladder before the fire became too intense for rescue.

The home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived and a second-story room filled with children crashed into the basement.