MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) -- A 46-year-old firefighter from Montgomery County has died after they were critically injured while responding to a fire in Laurel on Saturday, according to fire officials. According to Pete Piringer of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS), at around 5 p.m., crews responded to the 15000 block of Bradford Drive to assist the Prince George's County Fire Department after a fire broke out at a home. While fighting the flames, county officials said, "an emergency happened with an emergency," when an MCFRS firefighter "fell ill" and was critically injured. Responders quickly administered CPR on the firefighter and transported him to the hospital, where he died. In a news conference Saturday night outside the hospital, county officials noted that the firefighter was a 22-year department veteran. "Over the next couple of days, weeks, months, years, we will be mourning our loss; we will be trying to heal; we will be wrapping ourselves around the family members," said MCFRS Fire Chief Corey Smedley. "To our MCFRS department, we are here for you, we understand, we will help you through this. We are all in this together." World Central Kitchen continues efforts to help residents, first responders impacted by California wildfires Smedley noted that officials will continue to share information with the public as the investigation develops. "To our community, we are still here for you; even during this tough time, we are going to still ensure that we are protecting our community," he said. "I just ask that things that happen over the next couple of days, you bear with us, it is going to be a very difficult time for each and every one of us." When asked why Montgomery County firefighters responded to help extinguish the flames in Prince George's County, Smedley emphasized that the department participates in a "mutual aid operations plan" with other fire departments in the region and that it is routine for MCFRS firefighters to respond to fires in Prince George's County, and vice versa. "When a call comes in, borders don't matter; we go into Prince George's County, and Prince George's County comes into Montgomery County," he said. "We are always here for each other." County executive Marc Elrich also attended the press conference, stating that he has already met with the firefighter's family to offer his condolences. "We make it through difficult times because we have to, and we will make it through this," said Elrich. "We have reassured our firefighters that we will always be there, that we know when we send them out, we know the risk they take, and they need to know that the county stands behind them." The firefighter's body will be taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy to determine the official cause of death. The investigation is ongoing. This is a developing story.