A Derry Borough man died early yesterday after he and another tenant were pulled from an apartment fire.

James Gamble, 60, was pronounced dead in the emergency room at Excela Health Latrobe Hospital, the Westmoreland County coroner said.

The identity of the second man was not immediately released.

Firefighters were dispatched at 2:36 a.m. yesterday to a home in the 200 block of North Chestnut Street. The house had been converted into two apartments, Derry assistant fire chief Jason Campbell said.

Firefighters found a man, later identified as Mr. Gamble, on the floor about 15 feet inside his residence.

He was to be taken by helicopter to a Pittsburgh burn center, but he went into cardiac arrest while in an ambulance.

The second man was found sleeping in an apartment in the rear of the house. Firefighters helped him to safety, and he was not injured, Mr. Campbell said.

The coroner's office reported the fire may have started accidentally when Mr. Gamble went to sleep while smoking in bed. An oxygen tank that had been in use also may have fueled the fire, investigators said.

No other injuries were reported. An autopsy was to be conducted yesterday.

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