Two people were killed in a house fire in Fayette County early Saturday morning, according to a news release from the Fayette County Sheriff's Office. The fire was reported around 1:45 a.m. at a house at 6478 Gatewood Road near the Riner Dairy.
Firefighters arrived to find that two of the residents of the home were trapped inside.
Volunteer firefighters from the Fayetteville and Oak Hill volunteer fire departments responded, as well as EMS personnel from Jan Care and General Ambulance Services. Firefighters from the Ansted, Nuttall and Gauley Bridge Volunteer Fire Departments also responded. The Mount Hope Volunteer Fire Department and the Wilderness Volunteer Fire Department in neighboring Nicholas County were on standby to help if needed.
"This was a very large, hot fire," Sheriff Steve Kessler said in part in the release. "A lot of people don't realize how strenuous and physically draining firefighting is, particularly in weather like this.
"Fire service commanders sometimes have to rotate their firefighters to provide a break and prevent exhaustion," he said.
Once the fire was out, the bodies were taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for autopsy, the release says. Officials have not released the names of the deceased. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.