A woman and her elderly husband died while they tried to escape their burning home in Pittsfield, Mass.

The house fire on Bryan Street began around 4 a.m. Thursday, according to Fire Chief Robert Czerwinski, who said three people were inside — an elderly couple and their daughter, described as in her 30s.

Both the husband and wife were found on the first floor. The wife was pronounced dead at the scene. The husband was taken to Berkshire Medical Center, where he died a short time later, according to District Attorney Paul Caccaviello's office.

Czerwinski said the daughter escaped the home and then tried to wake neighbors to call for help, adding she was treated for burns. It's believed the fire was accidental in nature, but efforts to fight it were hampered by debris in the home.

"It was an extension cord that was plugged into a power strip that was plugged into an old outlet," Czerwinski says. "The extension cord appeared to have been buried under a bunch of cardboard boxes and things like that. As it ... heated up, that's probably what caught the materials on fire."

A retired firefighter who lives nearby said he'd known the family for some 40 years. Their identities were not immediately released by authorities, pending family notification.