According to state police, two firefighters perished while putting out a house fire in rural eastern Pennsylvania on Wednesday, where a man’s body was discovered outside.
Assistant Fire Chief Zachary Paris, 36, and Marvin Gruber, 59, were the New Tripoli Fire Company personnel that perished, according to Pennsylvania State Police Trooper David Beohm.
On Wednesday, a second body was found on a sizable piece of property around the house in West Penn Township next to Tamaqua, a small town in the coal belt approximately 85 miles from Philadelphia.
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According to Deputy Coroner Michael Bowman, who said Kammerdiener lived at the burning residence, he was recognized on Thursday as Christopher Kammerdiener, 35.
Officials withheld additional information on the investigation into Kammerdiener’s death.
At a news conference on Thursday, Don Smith, Jr., a Lehigh County Communications Center representative, stated that the two firemen got trapped while putting out the fire and that other firefighters acted rapidly to try to rescue them. After being taken to the hospital, they passed away, according to Smith.
According to officials, the causes of death and specifics of the funeral arrangements will be disclosed later.
Paris was a professional firefighter employed in Frederick County, Maryland, but she resided in New Tripoli and did volunteer work there. He had recently graduated from the fire academy in September and joined the county’s fire department as a recruit in February.
His wife, two daughters, sister, and parents are among his survivors.
“Zach was living out his dream of becoming a career firefighter, but he was also living out his dream as a family man,” said Fire Chief Tom Coe. “There are no words to describe the sadness myself and the members of Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services are feeling today.
For the last 15 years of his 22-year employment at Northampton Community College, Gruber has been in the department of public safety.
Keith Morris, the head of public safety at the institution, said that the man “died a hero in the line of duty, doing what he did best, assisting and protecting others while selflessly serving his community with honor and integrity.”
The three-story single-family home, according to West Penn Township Police Chief James Bonner, also housed two other persons, “an uncle and nephew,” who were being treated for injuries.
According to reports, more than 100 firefighters and police officers arrived just before 4 p.m. Bonner described it as an “active crime scene” with assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
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