A deadly fire in Philadelphia left 13 people dead including 7 children. The horrifying incident occurred in a three-storey row home in Philadelphia's Fairmount section on Wednesday, January 5 morning. Firefighters responded to reports of a fire in the building on North 23rd Street in the Fairmount neighborhood at 6:30 am.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, firefighters reached the scene to find fire blazing from the second floor of the building. Sources informed a FOX29 reporter that 13 people died in the fire. The identities of the victims are not clear at the moment.
Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy noted during a press conference that 26 people were living at the housing facility. Fire officials are investigating the circumstances that led to the deadly fire.
'Smoke detectors were not working'
Murphy further informed that the housing facility is owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority. The row home was converted into two separate apartments. The building was inspected in 2019 and 2020. The agency had installed smoke detectors. However, four smoke detectors found on Wednesday were not operating.
Murphy, however, denied confirming the number of fatalities calling it 'dynamic' as the rescue operation is still going on. FOX29 reported that two residents, including one child, were critically injured in the incident. The adult was taken to Temple University Hospital and the kid to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Identities of the victims are not clear at the moment.
What caused the fire?
As an investigation is going on to establish a cause behind the horrifying incident, Murphy said during the news conference that the 'fire is not being considered suspicious' at the moment. He also noted that in his 35 years of service, he had never seen a fire quite like that. According to the Inquirer, the fire was extinguished in 50 minutes.
"Let me be painfully clear. We're in the process of investigating this to the highest level that we can," Murphy said.
