A Blount County couple with decades of experience with law enforcement agencies and in government service died following a fire in their home Wednesday, authorities said Friday.

The Cleveland home of Kennith Wilson, 75, and Regina Wilson, 72, caught fire just before midnight Thursday, said Cleveland Fire Department Assistant Chief Joseph Marsh.

The Wilsons, who died Thursday, were both former employees of the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, according to state Rep. David Standridge, R-Hayden.

“Our prayers go out to the family of Regina and Kenneth Wilson who both died as a result of a tragic house fire in Cleveland,” the lawmaker wrote on his Facebook page.

The Blount County Sheriff’s Office changed its profile picture on Facebook to a photo of the Wilsons.

“All of our collective hearts in the Blount County public service family are broken,” the agency said. “Please pray for the Wilson family.”

Kennith Wilson was an investigator with the sheriff’s office while his wife was a jailer at the county lockup.

Kennith Wilson later worked for the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board while Regina Wilson became an administrator with Blount County 911.

The fire remained under investigation by state fire marshals as of Friday evening, Marsh said.