An early morning fire in North Philadelphia injures three firefighters and four others.
According to Philadelphia Fire Deputy Chief Michael Wahl, the call for the house fire came in at 5:58 a.m. at 1618 North 20th Street. Upon arrival initial reports were of heavy smoke and a couple trapped inside.
Upon entering the home, firefighters rescued two people while two others escaped on their own. Three women and one child were taken to Hahnemann hospital for treatment and were in stable condition.
During the rescue, three firefighters were also injured. One firefighter is in critical but stable condition and was transferred to Temple Burn Center. The other two firefighters are in stable condition at Hahnemann.
Fire officials say the home did have working smoke detectors–and without that, this fire could have easily claimed several lives.
The fire is under investigation by the fire marshal’s office at this time
