HATFIELD TWP., Pa. – A man and woman are dead after an early morning house fire in Hatfield Township, Montgomery County. A third person is in the hospital.
A 78-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman died Friday morning. A family of five was inside the home at the time. Investigators say the homeowner woke up at 4:30 a.m. and felt the fire, then alerted those inside.
Three people made it out. The two older residents did not.
Investigators say Ghanshyam Patel and Lennabahen Patel were found unconscious in the second-floor bedrooms. Both died in the early morning.
The Montgomery County Coroner says she died at the scene, he at Abington Lansdale Hospital.
Mohammed Kahn is a family friend.
“I’m sorry to hear that bad news,” he said.
The homeowners escaped along with someone in a wheelchair, who was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital with burn injuries.
Investigators say the fire started just before 4:30 a.m. in the home’s first floor. On arrival fire crews raced inside and found the victims unconscious in the bedrooms, taking them out through the stairwell and a second-floor window.
Neighbors say a family of five has been living in the home for decades.
Now surrounded by grief and love, the homeowner did return to take their belongings out of the second floor.
“Will live in this community for a long time like, this is a very friendly community and everyone is very helpful over there,” said MD Shahidul Khan.
The home is a double and the family living next door can return to their home.
The cause is under investigation. Investigators believe it started in the front part of the first floor.
The condition of the person who was taken to LVHN is unknown at this time.