The home on Gilberts Corners Road in the town of Sharon caught fire just as heavy storms were moving through the area. Lightning hit the chimney of the house.
Jeffrey Howell, 42, was one of the first firefighters to respond to the call. He was battling the fire when he suffered a heart attack.
The people inside the home got out safely. Five people are now homeless. The red cross is assisting them.
The fire rekindled Friday morning.
Howell had been a member of the Sharon Springs Fire Department since November 2003. Before that he had been in the Carlisle fire department since 1994.
This is the first firefighter death in the line of duty since 1990 in Schoharie County.
Meanwhile, another series of storms dumped several inches of rain in parts of Warren County, at the southeastern edge of the Adirondacks.
Hail an inch in diameter fell north of Bolton. House fires from lightning were reported in Glens Falls and Pottersville.
The National Weather Service warns that more localized flooding is possible Friday as more storms roll through.
A cold front is expected to push the warm air mass out of the region tomorrow, but will bring more rain in the afternoon before clearing occurs.
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