A 47-year-old man died while trying to save his elderly mother from a house fire in Orting Sunday morning, The News Tribune reported.

According to Orting Valley Fire and Rescue Chief Paul Webb, Orting Valley and East Pierce Fire and Rescue responded to the single-story house fire shortly after 7 a.m. in the 17900 block of Pioneer Way East.

The house fire was heavily involved when crews arrived, said Webb, and electrical wires hampered the crews.

After knocking down the fire, firefighters entered the home and found the missing man had died in the fire, said Webb.

“It looks like her son had left the house, alerted neighbors of the fire and then went back in to get his mother out," Webb told The News Tribune.

Neighbors and passersby rescued the woman, believed to be in her late 70s or early 80s. She was transported by medic unit to Good Samaritan Hospital.

The Pierce County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

In all, 21 firefighters responded to the fire, which took 30 minutes to control.