Forty-seven year-old Daniel Knotts, along with his dog, perished Feb. 1, in a smoky fire at his residence along the 1300 block of Byfield Street in the eastern portion of Salisbury Township.

Fire crews were dispatched by the Lehigh County 911 Center shortly after 11 p.m.

First to arrive on scene, Eastern Salisbury Fire Chief Ian Dodson and Salisbury Police Department patrol officer Jason Harrison found smoke and flames at the residence.

Dodson and Harrison, seeing a vehicle in the driveway, and learning from neighbors the owner might be inside, Dodson declared a ”working fire with entrapment” and called for a second alarm to bring additional resources and manpower to the scene.

Dodson called for an immediate search for victims while a crew on the first-arriving Eastern Salisbury engine pulled a hose line through the house to attack the fire centered in the kitchen at the rear of the home.

Newly arrived Western Salisbury Chief Joshua Wells and Eastern Salisbury fire officers Ryan Chu, assistant chief and Dennis Takacs, safety officer, began the search. Knoll was found on the first floor of the two-level home and was removed outside to the front entrance where firefighters/EMS personnel initiated CPR rescue measures.

St. Luke’s University Health Network emergency medical personnel continued rescue procedures in an ambulance as the victim was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital-Fountain Hill. Knotts could not be resuscitated and he was pronounced dead 12:03 a.m. Feb. 2 at the hospital.

The fire was quickly brought under control by interior and exterior firefighters.

In a communication to responding firefighters, Dodson thanked the crews for their teamwork saying: “Operationally I don’t think much could have gone better. Our recent training with hose deployment, hose management and victim removal was evident at the scene. Unfortunately, the outcome with the resident was not what we wanted.”

Other fire company officers at the scene commented to Dodson “nothing could have been done differently to change the outcome.”

An autopsy was scheduled by Lehigh County Coroner Eric Minnich Feb. 3 to determine the cause of death. No results are yet available.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by Salisbury police and Fire Marshal Salisbury Police Department Sgt. Donald Sabo. The investigation is ongoing.

Other fire crews assisting at the scene were from Upper Saucon Fire Department, Lower Saucon’s Se-Wy-Co station, Fountain Hill Fire Department, Emmaus Fire Department and Western Salisbury Volunteer Fire Company.

A Rapid Intervention Team responded from Lower Macungie Fire Department’s Alburtis Station and South Whitehall’s Woodlawn Station cascade unit arrived to refill firefighter’s air packs.

Ambulance crews were from St. Luke’s University Health Network and a rehab unit from Macungie Ambulance Corps provided hydration and energy snacks for firefighters.

Eastern Salisbury Fire Department fire police controlled access to the scene.