WHEELING – City firefighters are investigating a fatal fire that occurred late Tuesday evening.

Shortly after 9 p.m., firefighters were called to 4224 Jacob St. in South Wheeling after a passerby called 911 to report a house fire, department spokesman Philip Stahl said.

When crews arrived, heavy fire could be seen coming from the first floor accompanied by thick smoke.

Firefighters battled the fire for more than an hour before getting it under control and extinguished.

Two adults were found inside the house deceased. Both will be sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Charleston, W.Va., for positive identification and to determine a cause of death.

WFD’s Bureau of Fire Investigations will work to determine a cause and find the origin of the fire.