(CBS/ AP) Authorities on Tuesday recovered what they believe to be charred remains from the rubble of a burned house from which a gunman may have ambushed emergency workers, St. Louis County's medical examiner said.

Investigators also found a long barrel that came from a rifle or shotgun, county police spokeswoman Tracy Panus said.

The barrel and apparent remains were found at the collapsed house, where a gunman was believed to have holed up Monday after shooting at emergency workers responding to a report of a burning pickup truck in the St. Louis suburb of Maplewood. One firefighter was killed and two police officers were wounded in the attack.

The county medical examiner, Dr. Mary Case, said the apparent remains will be examined Wednesday to try to determine whose they are.

The incident began at 5:40 a.m. with a report of a pickup truck fire in Maplewood, a suburban town just southwest of St. Louis. When firefighters arrived, someone began firing shots.

Officials said 22-year-old Ryan Hummert, a firefighter/paramedic from Maplewood, was shot to death as he got off a fire truck.

Two police officers also were injured. One was released after being treated for a gunshot wound to the right shoulder. The other injured officer was taken to another hospital; Panus said he also was expected to survive.

Panus noted that some witness statements indicated a person inside the house was seen lighting clothes on fire.

Meanwhile, the family of the man listed on St. Louis County property records as the owner of the house released a statement.

"We are deeply sorry for the loss of Maplewood firefighter Ryan Hummert. His death is a senseless tragedy, and we are praying for his family," the statement said.

The statement, identified as being from the family of Mark Knobbe, also expressed sorrow for the attack on two police officers, who survived. The statement said Knobbe had been estranged from the family for nearly a decade and had not spoken to them.

The family expressed shock and sadness, adding, "our hearts are truly with the families and friends" of the victims.

They said Knobbe was a 52-year-old Navy veteran whose tour of duty included submarine work. He was not married and had no children.

The scene at the house where a modest brick bungalow once stood was active all day Tuesday, with backhoes and cadaver dogs helping investigators piece together a narrative to explain an ambush from the home of a man no neighbor knew much about.

Public records list the owner as Knobbe, who bought the home more than 10 years ago. Neighbors said he never spoke to anyone and always had his blinds pulled.

The incident was the latest of several high-profile crimes in the St. Louis region this year, according to CBS affiliate KMOV in St. Louis. In February, a disgruntled resident of the suburban town of Kirkwood walked into a City Council meeting and killed two police officers, two council members and the public works director before he was gunned down by police. In June, an Arkansas couple was beaten to death outside a hotel in Festus. Last week, two people died inside Jamestown Mall in north St. Louis County. And on Saturday, 57-year-old Boris Shotekoff killed his wife and sister and brutally beat his brother-in-law before taking his own life, police said.

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