One person died and another was critically injured after a house fire early Thursday morning in southeast Fort Worth. According to the Fort Worth Fire Department, firefighters were called to the 3500 block of Avenue J around 2:45 a.m. in the Poly neighborhood. When crews arrived, they found flame s coming from the front of the home and immediately began attacking the fire while conducting a search for people inside. During the search, firefighters located a woman in the back of the house. She was removed from the home and EMS immediately performed emergency medical care on her. Officials say she was transported to a hospital in critical condition. A second victim, a man, was found in the front of the home. Firefighters brought him outside and attempted lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Two firefighters were also taken to a hospital as a precaution after helping rescue the victims and battling the blaze. “Being a part of two separate rescues of individuals, just trying to get them out of the house, it’s very taxing on the body, especially in this heat,” said Fort Worth Fire Department PIO Craig Trojacek said. “I know it’s nighttime, but it’s still hot outside.” Officials said the firefighters’ injuries are not believed to be serious. Trojacek described the residence as a “hoarder home,” which created significant challenges for firefighters working inside the burning structure. According to Trojacek, the heavy accumulation of belongings made it more difficult for crews to navigate through the home while searching for victims and extinguishing the fire. “When we talk about a hoarder home, that stuff all plays back into the fire itself. The more stuff that’s in there, the more stuff that’s burning, the higher the heat,” he said. “A lot of stuff just stacked up, doorways, windows blocked off…So as you can imagine, in high heat and flames and you’re looking for somebody, and you’re going to run into barriers every turn.” The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Arson investigators are at the scene as part of the department’s standard protocol for investigating fatal fires. The identities of the victims have not yet been released. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. ...read more read less