At Least 6 Feared Dead in Pennsylvania House Fire and Shooting

At least six members of the same family are missing and feared dead after a house fire in Pennsylvania that broke out during a gunfight which wounded two police officers.

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said during a news conference Wednesday night. "I will say with a heavy heart that we are afraid there might be more than one person in that house. We know that victim's family had a lot of people living in that house, including children."

He added that "we are aware that there are at least six to eight people who are unaccounted for from that family. It is our terrible fear that they may be inside that house when it was burned."

He, however, said that no deaths will be confirmed until investigators can gain access to the property, which was still smoldering overnight.

Although it's unclear when the fire began, officials noted that firefighters were unable to stop the blaze because of the active shooter situation.

"Officers were taking gunfire," Stollsteimer said. "Police officers and the fire department who were out there, there was still shots coming out at the beginning of this fire scene."

Police first responded to a report that an 11-year-old girl had been shot in Lewis Avenue, a suburban street in East Lansdowne, west of Philadelphia, at 3:47 p.m. It is not known whether the girl or the gunman were inside the house at the time of the fire.

"It was because of the Upper Darby Police Department who also responded to that call that these officers are alive today. They were dragged out of danger by Upper Darby police officers," Stollsteimer added.