Another person’s body was discovered outside the home, according to authorities.
A Maryland firefighter was among the two first responders who died Wednesday while fighting a house fire in Pennsylvania where a body was found, police and the Frederick County Fire Union said.
The deceased firefighters were identified as members of the New Tripoli Fire Company. They are Deputy Fire Chief Zachary Paris, 36, and Marvin Gruber, 59, Pennsylvania State Trooper David Beohm said. The authorities also announced that they were trapped inside the house. Firefighters pulled them out, but both later died.
The body of another person was discovered outside the house that sits on a large lot in West Penn Township near Tamaqua in Schuylkill County.
Pennsylvania State Police said two people living in the home made it out to safety.
“We have a body in the back, and that’s still part of this whole investigation,” Boem said.
West Penn Township Police Chief James Bonner said two people, “an uncle and a nephew,” lived in the three-story single-family home and were able to escape the fire. The official also maintained that two other firefighters were treated for injuries.
More than 100 firefighters and officers responded shortly before 4 p.m. Bonner called it an active crime scene, with the Pennsylvania State Police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms assisting in the investigation.
Zachary Paris joined the Frederick County Fire and Rescue Service in February. He was also a volunteer firefighter in Pennsylvania. He leaves behind a wife and two daughters, he ended the Frederick County Firefighters Union.