Two people and two pets died in a house fire early Tuesday morning in Hagerstown. Fire officials say crews were called to the home at 20 Snyder Ave around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday for a report of a fire with people trapped. Upon arrival, they found the home with heavy fire showing on the first and second floors. Firefighters found both victims on the second floor but were already deceased.
"We went ot work right away, did everything we could to get up steps and tried to make a recovery brought one person out and a few minutes later got the other person down," said Steve Lohr, Hagerstown Fire Chief.
Their bodies were taken to the Medical Examiner’s Officer in Baltimore for autopsies. The Maryland State Fire Marshal will be assisting in investigation on the cause of the fire.
Through years, Lenny Morrell describes the fire that took the lives of his neighbors of 20 years.
"It was just a big ball of fire, it was flames and we just kept looking and waiting and hoping," said Morrell.
Officials will ID the victims after family members are notified.
Fire officials want to remind the public to make sure they have smoke alarms on every floor in their home and routinely check that they are working; “each year in the U.S., 76% of all fire deaths occur in one and two-family homes.”
