Site of deadly fire in West Penn Twp. an active crime scene

Dec. 9—The West Penn Twp. property where two New Tripoli firefighters died battling a blaze Wednesday and where another man was found dead outside was described Thursday as an active crime scene.

Authorities did not release many details about the investigation, which is being led by West Penn Police Chief James Bonner, with assistance from state police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The names of all three deceased were released Thursday.

The two firefighters who died, according to state police Trooper David Beohm, public relations officer for Troop L headquarters in Reading, were Marvin Gruber, 59, and Assistant Fire Chief Zachary Paris, 36, both from the Community Fire Company, New Tripoli.

Gruber was also assistant chief of the Northampton Community College Department of Public Safety, and Paris earlier this year became a career firefighter for Frederick County, Maryland.

Michael Bowman, a Schuylkill County deputy coroner, on Thursday identified the man found dead in a wooded area near the house at 1121 Clamtown Road (Route 443) as Christopher Kammerdiener, 35. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:44 p.m. A coroner's vehicle was seen leaving the wooded area about 11:35 p.m. Wednesday.

The coroner's office was initially called to the scene for a reported suicide.

Bowman didn't discuss whether it was a suicide but said the man died of a gunshot wound. Dr. David J. Moylan III said the autopsy that was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday was rescheduled to 5:30 p.m. Friday.

"They did find a firearm, but at the time, they didn't find a casing," said Bowman, who said he arrived on the scene at 5:35 p.m.

According to Bonner, two people who lived at the house, an uncle and nephew, exited the structure.

Christopher Kammerdiener is believed to be the nephew, and the uncle is Bernard E. Kammerdiener, 63.

Bernard Kammerdiener is among three owners listed on the Schuylkill County Parcel Locator for the property, which has a New Ringgold address. The other two are Robert E. Kammerdiener and Jon H. Kammerdiener.

Patty Daley and Danielle Boris, disaster program specialists with the Red Cross, said they provided food, clothing and shelter assistance to Bernard Kammerdiener.

Authorities at scene

Authorities were at the scene Thursday morning, where the fire was still smoldering. The large, three-story farmhouse is not far off the highway, about 4 miles south of Tamaqua.

Bonner told the Morning Call on Thursday that the blaze is suspicious and began in the basement.

At a press conference at the scene late Wednesday, he said two other firefighters were injured. One whose identity and fire company affiliation were not identified had an injury to his finger and was treated on the scene. Another firefighter, from West Penn Twp., suffered smoke inhalation and was transported to a local hospital, Bonner said.

In Wednesday night's press conference, Beohm said there was not yet a cause. As to the ATF's presence, he said it was a routine use of resources.

He did not know who reported the fire or if the house had working smoke detectors.

He noted that the two deceased firefighters came from Lehigh County to help fight the fire and ended up losing their lives.

"It's tragic," he said. "It's absolutely tragic."

Crews from the surrounding region responded just before 4 p.m. for the structure fire with reported entrapment.

Beohm said firefighters were inside searching for a person.

Evacuation tones were blasted on-site at 4:33 p.m. The Schuylkill County Communications Center said firefighters inside placed a "mayday" call at 4:35 p.m.

Beohm had said Wednesday night there were multiple mayday calls.

Troopers John F. Burns and Joseph Hall, both fire marshals, were on scene Wednesday night.

More than 100 firefighters and officers responded to fight the fire.

Bonner and Jeff Bradford, West Penn Twp. fire chief, were in charge at the scene, according to an employee of the police department who did not give her name in a phone interview Thursday. Bonner was unavailable at the time.

At a news conference Thursday, Don Smith Jr., a spokesman for the Lehigh County Communications Center, said the two firefighters became trapped while trying to put out the blaze, and other firefighters worked quickly to get them out.

The first firefighter pulled from the burning house was loaded into a Tamaqua ambulance at 4:53 p.m. and the second was loaded into a Penn Mahoning ambulance at 5:02 p.m. In each case, emergency responders were administering CPR.

The men were taken to St. Luke's Hospital-Miners Campus in Coaldale, where they were pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m.

There was a solemn firetruck column around the hospital and through Tamaqua late Wednesday in honor of the deceased firefighters, and on Thursday a procession of emergency vehicles accompanied two hearses carrying the men from the coroner's office in New Philadelphia to the coroner's office in Allentown.

Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio told the Morning Call there are certain protocols for handling line of duty deaths and that he felt it was "imperative to get our brothers back home."

(The Associated Press

contributed to this report)