An investigation is underway into what caused the blaze.
81-year-old Paul and Sheila were both found unconscious, and firefighters performed CPR – but both sadly died shortly after. The Ridge View Echo, the newspaper founded by soap star Paul, reported the devastating news. An investigation into the cause of the blaze is currently underway, and in the meantime the couple’s daughter Kyle has confirmed her parents’ passing.
Writing on social media, she said: “I’m devastated to share that our parents, Paul and Sheila Garry Avery, passed away early this morning.
As well as his successful acting career, Paul worked as a journalist and founded his own publication.
The pair’s heartbroken daughter paid tribute (Image: Facebook)
Tributes have flooded in for the pair, with Paul’s colleague at the Ridge View Echo Joe Phalon saying: “I got a call saying what happened, and I just couldn’t believe it.
“I always like to call Paul the most interesting man in the world, because he was when you consider everything he’s done in his life. Acting, skydiving, Vietnam veteran, started a newspaper.”
Blairstown local Kevin Martin, who worked at the local glider company, told WFMZ: “It’s going to take a while to get used to not having him here, because it was almost like, ‘OK, it’s the weekend, we expect to see Paul.’
“He was a powered pilot previously, so he held some ratings, and so when he came to gliders, he was pretty much a natural pilot.”
