Excerpts from wfmz.com:

WEST PENN TWP., Pa. – Two volunteer firefighters died after responding to a smoky fire that burned a home in West Penn Township, Schuylkill County, Wednesday afternoon, according to the coroner.

Marvin Gruber, 59, and Zachary Paris, 36, died after being called to the fire in the 1100 block of Clamtown Road in West Penn Township, near Tamaqua.

Paris was the assistant fire chief of the New Tripoli Fire Company in Lehigh County.  Gruber was the assistant chief of Northampton Community College’s Department of Public Safety.

A firefighters’ labor union in Frederick County, Maryland, posted Wednesday night that Paris joined the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Service last February and graduated in September, and leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.

They were searching for a person reported trapped in the house, and while fighting the flames, there were multiple maydays given. Multiple sources said the firefighters were pulled from the burning home and taken to the hospital, where they later died. 

A third person was found on the property behind the home. Authorities have not said how that person, who is not a firefighter, died.

“Along with the house fire, there was a body located on this property, behind the property, so that is still an active investigation on how the person died, who that person was,” said Trooper. David Beohm, Pennsylvania State Police.

Police also said two people lived at the home, and that those two people are not in the home anymore, but authorities did not say what their conditions are.

Fire crews from three counties responded to the three-alarm blaze.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Audio House Fire Firefighter Mayday Schuylkill county 12/7/22 – Fire crews were called to the 1100 block of Clamtown Road, Route 443, in West Penn Township around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, for a single-home fire with possible entrapment. An hour into the fire, mayday calls went out from firefighters that had been trapped on the second floor Mayday Call at 16:20 The RIT jumped into action and went into the blaze to rescue the two firefighters, who were then transported to the St. Luke’s Miners Hospital. Sadly, both firefighters succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced at the hospital by the Schuylkill County Coroner’s Office. The 2 firefighters were from New Tripoli. My Prayers go out to the family’s of both and all the fire crews that worked it

From Career Firefighters Association of Frederick County, MD Local 3666

Frederick County FF Zachary Paris

It’s with the heaviest of hearts that we share the news of the passing of Frederick County Firefighter Zachary Paris. Tragically, Firefighter Paris was killed battling a house fire earlier this evening in Schuylkill County, PA with his brothers and sisters from New Tripoli Fire Company.

Firefighter Paris joined the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Service on February 28, 2022, as a member of Recruit Class 32. He graduated on September 10, 2022 and was assigned to the Green Valley Fire Station as a member of C Shift.

Firefighter Paris leaves behind his wife, and 2 young daughters. We ask that you please keep Firefighter Paris’s family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Rest easy brother. We’ll take it from here. 

Tags: Assistant Chief Marvin Gruber, audio from fatal PA house fire, chicagoareafire.com, double LODD in PA, Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Service, Frederick County Firefighter Zachary Paris, New Tripoli Fire Company Assistant Chief Zachary Paris, New Tripoli Fire Company in Lehigh County, two Firefighters killed in West Penn Township fire