Two People Die in Montgomery County House Fire

A man and woman died as flames tore through a Montgomery County home Friday morning.

Dispatchers learned of the fire along Washington Lane, near Truman Drive, in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, around 4:20 a.m., the Hatfield Township Fire Marshal's Office said. There were reports of flames on the first floor and two people trapped upstairs.

When they arrived minutes later, police officers found flames coming out of the front of the house and on the porch, investigators said. Hatfield firefighters arrived a short time later and knocked down the flames.

"Firefighters found and removed an adult male and female from second floor bedrooms; one taken down the stairs and the other out a window and down a ladder," the fire marshal's office said in a news release.

Both people were rushed to a nearby hospital where they died, investigators said. On Monday, police identified them as 78-year-old Ghanshyam Patel and 63-year-old Leenabahen Patel.

A 65-year-old man escaped the fire and was treated for burns at Lehigh Valley Hospital – Cedar Crest and later released, investigators said.

As SkyForce10 hovered overhead after 9 a.m. Friday, all the flames appeared to be out.

The homeowner told investigators the residents of the home were sleeping when the fire began.

"Firefighters reported that they did not hear any smoke detectors sounding on the first or second floors when they arrived and entered the house," the Hatfield Township Fire Marshal's Office said in a news release. "A functioning smoke detector was later located in the basement. Another smoke detector was located in the second floor hallway, however it appears that it failed to operate and alert the residents."

The fire marshal on the scene told NBC10's Deanna Durante that they were working on figuring out a cause for the deadly blaze. No cause was revealed as of Monday.