Lehighton Area School District issued an announcement early Wednesday morning about students believed to have been killed in a Franklin Township fire that broke out around midnight.

“Late last night and early this morning, our community suffered a tragic loss in a house fire,” Lehighton Superintendent Jason Moser said in a statement Wednesday morning. “While details are not publicly available as of yet, we have reason to believe that three Lehighton students, a kindergartner, first grader, and a ninth grader perished in this tragic event. There are no words available to express how deeply sad this is for everybody. Please keep the families, friends, classmates, and anyone who has a close relationship with the deceased in your thoughts and prayers.”

“As a school district, we are coordinating to ensure that all of our students have the support system necessary to help them through this community loss,” Moser said. “We will have dedicated spaces in each of our buildings available for any children who need to speak with qualified professionals to provide emotional support. We are also coordinating with local entities to provide additional qualified professionals to be in our buildings. Should a child need to meet with someone, either they or their parent can reach out to the building.”

“Tragedies such as this are incredibly difficult and felt very deeply throughout the entire community,” Moser said. “It is at times like this that we as a community need to be caring and thoughtful about how each other may suffer from the impact of this loss. These are also the times when strong communities, such as the Lehighton Area School District, closely come together to positively support one another, and I have no doubt that we will do just that in order to help our community through this difficult time.”

The Carbon County coroner’s office issued a release shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday. The coroner said multiple fatalities were reported.

“Additional statements will be issued by the Carbon County Coroner’s Office as appropriate. At this stage, our priority is to ensure that all information released is accurate, timely, and communicated with the utmost sensitivity to those most affected,” the release said.

“On behalf of our office, I extend our deepest condolences to the family members experiencing this devastating loss. I also wish to acknowledge and commend the first responders who are handling this incident with professionalism and compassion.”

Fire fighters from Bowmanstown, Franklin Township, Lehighton and Parryville have been called to the scene.