WEST PENN TWP., PA (WPVI) — Two volunteer firefighters who died while fighting a house fire in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, have been identified.
Pennsylvania State Police say Assistant Fire Chief Zachary Parris, 36, and Marvin Gruber, 59, of the New Tripoli Community Fire Company in Lehigh County, died after being called to a fire in the 1100 block of Clemtown Road in West- Pen around 4pm on Wednesday.
The Career Firefighters Association of Frederick County, Md., posted a Facebook message about Parris’ death late Wednesday night.
The release said Parris joined the Frederick County Fire and Rescue Department on Feb. 28, 2022. He graduated on Sept. 10 and was assigned to the Green Valley Fire Station.
The report said Paris leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.
State police say firefighters were searching for a man who was trapped in a fire inside a three-story building. During the extinguishing of the fire, several fires were set, say the police.
Sources say WFMZ-TV that the firefighters were pulled from the burning house and taken to the hospital, where they later died.
A third body was found in an area about 100 yards behind the home, which sits on a 20-acre lot. according to WNEP-TV.
Authorities have not said how the man died.
“Along with the house fire, there was a body located on that property, behind the property, so it’s still an investigation into how the person died, who the person was,” said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper David Boehm.
Police say two people, an uncle and a nephew, lived in the home and got out safely. The Red Cross helped them.
Authorities say one firefighter was treated at the scene and another was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
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