Police: 2 firefighters die in house fire, body found outside

WEST PENN TOWNSHIP, Pa (AP) — Pennsylvania State Police say two firefighters died responding to a house fire where a body was found, while two people who lived in the home got out safely.

The slain firefighters were identified as members of the New Tripoli Fire Company, Assistant Fire Chief Zachary Paris, 36, and Marvin Gruber, 59, Trooper David Beohm said.

The body of another person was discovered outside the house on the property, which sits on a large plot of land in in West Penn Township near Tamaqua in Schuylkill County.

“We have a body in the back, and that’s all still part of this whole investigation,” Boem said.

West Penn Township Police Chief James Bonner said two people — “an uncle and nephew” — lived in the three-story single-family home and were able to escape the fire. He said two other firefighters were treated for injuries.

They said more than 100 firefighters and officers responded shortly before 4 p.m. Bonner called it an active crime scene, with Pennsylvania State Police and the federal bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisting the investigation.

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