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Victims of Chesco fire are identified

Police have identified two people who died in their Chester County home early Saturday morning in a fire that was complicated by hoarding conditions.

Police have identified two people who died in their Chester County home early Saturday morning in a fire that was complicated by hoarding conditions.

A. Katherine Schade, 64, and Gary Robert Schade, 67, were found on the first floor of their ranch-style house on Harmonyville Road in Warwick Township. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

"The extreme hoarding conditions inside the home and heavy fire load created many challenges and prolonged the firefighting efforts," Jason Brooks, deputy fire chief of Twin Valley Fire Department, said in a statement.

The fire started in the home's basement. Police and fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire, which they said appears to be accidental.

The fire caused an estimated $325,000 in damage, police said.

- Michaelle Bond