A high school letterman in three sports, Jonathan Murt had athletic skills. He also had an engineering degree and the intellect to tackle sizable challenges.

Sasha Zuro

But the fact that he was "fearless" helps explain why Mr. Murt, 22, of Rostraver, Westmoreland County, reportedly returned deep into a burning condominium yesterday at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Somerset County to try to rescue his girlfriend.

Neither Mr. Murt nor Sasha Zuro, 26, of Washington Township, Fayette County, survived the 1 a.m. fire in the SunRidge section of The Villages at Seven Springs.

"That was exactly the type of person he was," said his brother, Thomas John Murt, 31, of Canonsburg. "He was 6 feet 4 and weighed 210, 215 pounds and exercised. He was fearless and went back in."

Somerset County Coroner Wallace Miller said the bodies were found in a lower floor of the condo where the fire had originated in a fireplace flue.

But he could not verify whether or not Mr. Murt died by heading to a lower level of the condo to rescue Ms. Zuro, who reportedly was sleeping when the fire started.

Both died from smoke inhalation, Mr. Miller said.

Ms. Zuro was an accomplished basketball player at Belle Vernon High School and was selected in 1999 to the Fabulous Five in Class AAA Section 3.

A family member said the family was too distraught yesterday to comment about her.

But her former basketball coach, Len Volpi, who teaches social studies at the high school, described her as "a great basketball talent" who helped Belle Vernon win three straight Class AAA Section 3 titles in the late 1990s.

"I'm shocked," he said. "My heart just dropped. I can't believe it."

He said he lost track of her after she graduated from high school.

But her basketball skills were notable, he said. Not only was she tall, she was well-coordinated and able to score from the outside and inside. She also was "a fun person with an outgoing personality" that everyone on the team enjoyed.

"She was a team player, but at 6 feet 2 inches, she stood out," Mr. Volpi said, noting she had scored more than 1,000 points and had more than 1,000 rebounds during her high school career. She was the second all-time leading scorer for the girls' high school basketball team.

"She would be in the top five as the most talented players I've ever coached," he said.

The fire was reported to Somerset County 911 about 1 a.m. Volunteer fire companies responded from Seven Springs Borough, and ladder trucks were dispatched from Somerset, Connellsville and Ligonier.

The condo was in a 12-unit, four-story structure that sits on a ridge overlooking the ski slopes on the front side of the resort. The building also fronts on The Village Trail, which leads to the base facilities.

The exterior of the building had wooden clapboard siding. Five of the condos were destroyed, and two others sustained smoke damage, said resort spokesman Robert Duppstadt.

Five units were known to be occupied when the fire broke out, and the resort made accommodations for those forced to evacuate the building.

Mr. Murt graduated last spring from West Virginia University with a degree in electrical engineering and was home awaiting a new assignment from Converteam, which does electrical power conversion for steel mills and other industries.

While at high school, Mr. Murt had perfect attendance, was a three-year letterman and captain of the basketball team. He also played varsity baseball and volleyball. His brother said he graduated in the top 10 percent of his engineering class at WVU.

Mr. Murt said his brother had gone to Seven Springs with Ms. Zuro and her friends for an overnighter. The two had been dating for about two months.

He said his brother already had escaped danger but decided to return while another unidentified man, who recounted the story to his family, went to notify people in neighboring condos of the danger.

Mr. Murt said his brother typically "was the life of the party" and well liked.

The SunRidge units, with two and three bedrooms, are about 20 years old.

Mr. Duppstadt said the resort continued operations yesterday. People scheduled to use the destroyed units will be provided alternative accommodations.

"Seven Springs extends its sympathy to the families of the victims," he said.