Investigation continues into fatal West Penn Twp. fire

Dec. 10—The Lehigh County firefighters trapped in a West Penn Twp. fire Wednesday died of asphyxia and thermal injuries, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio ruled Friday.

While ruling on the cause, Buglio withheld a ruling on the manner of death, pending an investigation presently being conducted.

Marvin Gruber, 59, and Zachary Paris, 36, both of Lynn Twp., were members of Community Fire Company in New Tripoli, a village on the south face of Blue Mountain in Lehigh County.

Rescued from the fire by specially trained firefighters, they were transported to St. Luke's Hospital-Miners Campus in Coaldale, where they were pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. Wednesday.

Temporarily placed in the custody of the Schuylkill County Coroner's Office in New Philadelphia, they were transferred to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office and Forensic Center on Thursday.

The fallen fighters were escorted by a procession of about 90 firetrucks and other apparatus to New Tripoli, where they were accorded a solemn tribute by comrades at their home firehouse, which was draped in black.

Gov. Tom Wolf ordered state flags lowered to half-staff on the Capitol and state buildings across the commonwealth in their honor.

A prayer vigil for the New Tripoli firefighters was held Friday at Grace Community Church in New Tripoli.

"We want to give people a chance to gather, grieve and pray," said Sean Roche, pastor. "Their deaths have radically impacted the community."

Roche said that prayer has the power to soothe the pain of loss in times of tragedy and uncertainty.

Investigation ongoing

Investigators are still piecing together information about what led to the devastating house fire that claimed the Lehigh County firefighters' lives in Clamtown, a village in West Penn Twp.

"We are still sorting, evaluating and processing all the evidence and conducting interviews," said West Penn Police Chief James Bonner, the lead investigator.

Late Friday, Bonner said there had been no change in the status of the incident. While the investigation is ongoing, he said, there will be no further updates until Monday.

Bonner has previously indicated, however, that the fire that destroyed 1121 Clamtown Road was of suspicious origin. The property, a three-story house on a large wooded tract, is considered a crime scene.

Complicating the investigation is the fate of Christopher Kammerdiener, 35, whose body was found in a wooded area to the rear of the property.

Michael Bowman, Schuylkill County deputy coroner, reported Kammerdiener died of a gunshot wound. Though it was initially reported to the coroner's office as a suicide, the exact circumstances of his death remain under investigation.

Kammerdiener lived in the house with Bernard E. Kammerdiener, 63, reportedly his uncle.

Bernard is listed as an owner of the home with Robert E. Kammerdiener and Jon H. Kammerdiener in the Schuylkill County Parcel Locator. The owners have not spoken publicly about the fire.

An autopsy on Christopher Kammerdiener was scheduled for Friday evening at the Schuylkill County Coroner's Office. No information was available Friday night.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by Trooper John F. Burns, state police fire marshal in Frackville.

Burns and other investigators combed through the ruins on Thursday. Investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were also on hand. Officials said the agency's involvement was routine.

On Friday, Burns said the investigation is ongoing. He could not predict how long it would take.

Details on why the New Tripoli firefighters were in the burning building and whether they heard an alert to evacuate the building sounded at 4:33 p.m. remain under investigation. The entrapped firefighters sounded a "mayday" call for help at 4:35 p.m.

The incident had been called in as a working fire with entrapment, officials said.

Two West Penn Twp. firefighters were injured while battling the blaze.

Their identities have not been made public.

One firefighter had a finger injury that was treated on-site.

The other suffered from smoke inhalation and was transported to a local hospital. No information was available on his condition.

Contact the writer: rdevlin@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6007