Community mourns loss of two fallen Wilmington firefighters

WILMINGTON, Del. (WTXF/AP) - A community is gathering together after the devastating loss of two Wilmington firefighters. Meanwhile, the Delaware State Fire Marshal is looking for the cause of that devastating fire.

Honoring two fallen heroes. Their caskets were draped in American flags as they were loaded into hearses, and escorted by fire trucks. The bodies of 51-year-old firefighter Jerry Fickes and 41-year-old Lt. Christopher Leach were led from the Medical Examiner's office to their respective funeral homes. Those watching were left in tears.

"Watched Lt. Leach go by in the hearse and it just broke my heart," said a former neighbor of Lt. Leach.

Meanwhile, investigators spent a third day on the scene as the ATF and state fire marshal continue to look for a cause of the fire. Nothing is being ruled out.

Also nearby was Missy Napier and her family. It was her home that burned. She and 6 others were inside at the time, but all were able to get out before firefighters arrived. Missy insists she made clear in her 911 call that no one was trapped inside.

"The only thing I said is I had animals in the home. So please hurry. But I confirmed there was nobody in the home. We all came out the front door," she said.

Two radio transmissions were difficult to understand, but seemed to state that everyone was out.

The first transmission is as follows:

"She says everybody's out of the house. There's animals in the house. (Garbled) Her daughter ran back inside, but believe that she's out."

And then, moments later:

"Getting reports from occupants now that everyone's out of the house."

However, those transmissions came after firefighters had already arrived.

In a news conference late this afternoon, Wilmington's fire chief says, the first crew believed people were still inside.

"The arriving units, the units first on scene received reports from the scene on the street that people were still trapped inside the home."

As investigators sort it out, we're also learning that firefighter Jerry Fickes went inside with others trying to rescue Lt. Leach. This morning, they were honored together,

A GoFundMe page has been setup for the fallen firefighters.

APP users: Click here to watch Wilmington vigils (embedded)