A Pennsylvania firefighter was fatally injured when a front porch roof collapsed on him while battling a house blaze early Monday, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. The fire also killed a woman inside the home.
Crews responded to the blaze at about 1:30 a.m. at a residence near Boiling Springs in Cumberland County, WGAL-TV reports. When firefighters arrived at the scene, flames had "fully engulfed" the house.
"During the response, a roof collapsed on a firefighter," Pennsylvania State Trooper Megan Ammerman told the TV station.
Firefighter Jerome Guise, 34, of Citizen's Fire Company No. 1 in Mount Holly Springs, was struck by the porch roof's heavy timbers, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the USFA. Guise had spent 20 years in the fire service, the federal agency added.
“Our condolences go to the family and to the department," Ammerman added.
A woman who reportedly lived on the second floor of the house also died in the fire. A man identified as the woman's husband escaped the blaze and was taken to the hospital with severe injuries, Ammerman told WGAL.
