FIRE LIEUTENANT KILLED AND FIVE INJURED IN FIRE COLLAPSE OF MULTI-USE OCCUPANCY - PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 18, 2022 | Firefighter Close Calls | Firefighter Close Calls is the home of the Secret List. The worlds most visited website focused exclusively on firefighter survival

Fire Lieutenant Killed and Five Injured in Structural Collapse of Multi-Use Occupancy During Cause and Origin Investigation – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – June 18, 2022 – NIOSH Firefighter Fatality Investigation Report F2022-02

On June 18, 2022, Philadelphia Fire Lieutenant Sean Williamson of Ladder 18 was killed and five others were injured during a late night arson fire that caused the collapse of a commercial/residential building in the Fairhill neighborhood of the city. Shortly before 2 a.m. Philadelphia fire units were alerted to a report of a fire in a three-story mixed occupancy structure at the corner of West Indiana Avenue and North Third Street. Firefighters arrived to find an active fire on the first floor of the corner store. Eight people were safely evacuated from the second and third floor apartments as firefighters quickly brought the fire under control. A handful of firefighters remained on the scene for overhaul as fire investigators probed the cause of the blaze as other fire units were released. As investigators and firefighters were digging through the charred remains of the pizza shop, the structure suddenly shook as the smoldering building came crashing down in a lean-to/pancake-type collapse trapping five firefighters and a building inspector. Additional fire units were recalled to the scene and began a desperate operation to release the trapped members from the collapsed building. Four of the firefighters and the building inspector were removed from the rubble, some with serious injuries. Lieutenant Williamson, however, was crushed in the debris and was pronounced dead at the scene. Two men, one of which was the owner of the pizza shop, were convicted on federal charges of conspiracy to commit arson and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

The building involved in this incident was built in the 1880s and was of Type III Ordinary brick and wood joist construction with many different occupancies and structural alterations over its lifecycle. Located at the corner of West Indiana Avenue and North Third Street in the Fairhill section of the city, the building measured approximately 16 feet wide by 45 feet deep with a flat roof. A small one-story wood frame setback was at the rear of the building. Most recently, the first floor served as an arcade or gaming hall, take out restaurant, and pizzeria. The second and third floors had been through several remodels from single family apartments on each floor to a dormitory style layout with several “rooms” in each floor. The Side Bravo of the structure on the second floor was given a “bump out” or addition over the sidewalk. There originally was a set of concrete stairs that led to the addition and served as the entrance to the second floor. Eventually the stairs were demolished, but the addition remained. The building was constructed in “main street” or taxpayer style. These types of buildings often contain a basement or sub-division below the street level entrance and have exterior walkup access from the basement to the street; this building had a BILCO® door entrance on the Bravo sidewalk. Typically, they are constructed in a row style with masonry bearing walls and combustible construction making up the floors, ceilings, and interior surfaces. The masonry exterior walls are exposed to the elements and can become weak as mortar between the stones and bricks is degraded or washed out entirely. In this incident, all exterior walls of the building were covered with stucco-type material that masked any degradation of the bricks and mortar. Sides Alpha and Bravo were public streets with sidewalks and curbside automobile parking. Side Charlie was a narrow rear yard. Side Delta was a vacant lot, likely the site of a two-story row house that had been previously torn down. A fire hydrant was located directly across the street from the fire building. The building was not equipped with a fire alarm system or an automatic fire sprinklers system.

The store on the first floor had been previously occupied by a Chinese restaurant for about 12 years. The building was sold for $120,000 in September 2021 to a new owner, Al-Ashraf Khalil, and Star Pizza and Seafood then occupied the first floor shop for about five months prior to the fire. According to city records, no construction permits were issued for renovation or electrical work in recent years, yet evidence of recent construction and electrical work was noted in the building. Records further indicated that the property did not have active rental permits despite the occupied apartments upstairs. City building inspectors also cited the property for numerous violations in May 2019, flagging issues with the kitchen hood, fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, and open junction boxes. Those violations were listed as outstanding in city records again in June 2021, though it remains unclear whether inspectors had visited the property since it changed hands seven months prior. Note: Since the 2019 inspection, the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspection (L&I) had lost a third of its building inspectors, even as concerns about dangerous building conditions and shoddy construction practices had increased in the city. Unlicensed rental units and unsanctioned construction had been endemic since long before the staff exodus.

Philadelphia is the sixth-most-populous city in the United States and the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with a 2020 U.S. census population of 1,603,797 residents. At the time of the incident the city was protected by about 2,800 career members of the Philadelphia Fire Department which was divided into 3 operational divisions and 13 battalions. Deployed from 63 fire stations, the department operated 60 engines, 25 aerial ladders, 4 tower ladders, 2 squads, 1 heavy rescue, 63 ambulances, 1 Hazmat unit, 1 USAR unit, 10 airport ARFF crash units, 2 wildland units, and 3 fireboats. In fiscal year 2024, the department responded to 387,076 calls for service. Of these, 277,195 (71.6%) were EMS incidents and (14.34%) 55,526 were fire incidents, 2,880 (5.1%) of which were working structure fires.

The Fairhill neighborhood is located in eastern North Philadelphia about four miles north of Center City. The area is bordered by Front Street to the east, Germantown Avenue to the west, Allegheny Avenue to the north, and Cumberland Street to the south. It is adjacent to the neighborhoods of Harrowgate and West Kensington to the east, Hartranft to the south, Glenwood to the west, and Hunting Park to the north. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the racial makeup of Fairhill has the highest concentration of Hispanics of any neighborhood in Philadelphia, which is over 10 times larger than the overall percentage of Hispanics living in Philadelphia. Fairhill, along with portions of neighboring Glenwood and Hartranft, is the poorest zip code in Philadelphia, having a poverty rate of 61%. Crime and drug use are rampant in the district that primarily consists of row houses and small businesses. The intersection of North Third Street and West Indiana Avenue, the location of the fire building, was listed number two in a 2007 list of the city’s top ten recreational drug corners.

Philadelphia fire units serving the Fairhill neighborhood include:

Engine 2, Ladder 3, and Medics 31 & 51 at 2426-32 North 2nd Street – 0.8 miles from the fire building.
Engine 50, Ladder 12, and Medics 22 & 57 at 1325 West Cambria Street – 1 mile from the first building.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not have prerequisite training or education requirements for an individual to become a firefighter. The Philadelphia Fire Department participates with the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy in the Voluntary Participation and Certification Program, which began in 2003 to provide national certification for department members through the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications and the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress. Upon acceptance, fire department cadets/recruits are assigned to the department Fire Academy for an extensive 36-week academic, practical, and physical training program. While assigned to the Academy, recruits train in firefighting operations and EMS. Upon successful completion of the Academy, the firefighters are certified as Fire Fighter I and II, in Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations, in applicable components of the NFPA 1035 standard, and as a state-certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Firefighters are then assigned to either an engine or ladder company within the Operations Division. As EMTs, firefighters are assigned as needed to work on basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) medic units. During their probationary period, each firefighter is tested by the Fire Academy staff at nine months (written and practical examinations) and 12 months (written examination). Recertification for an EMT and paramedic (EMT-P) is every two years, which requires 18 hours of continuing education for EMT and 24 hours for EMT-P. Members who are assigned to the Operations Division are required to complete at least one hour of training per shift. Fire officers and firefighters are required to complete a minimum of 170 hours of training annually. Lieutenant Williamson was a well-trained 27-year veteran of the department, including assignments to a heavy rescue unit and Urban Search and Rescue Task Force.

The weather on June 18, 2022, between 01:53 hours and 07:13 hours was fair with no precipitation. The temperature ranged from 73-79 degrees F with winds ranging from 8-16 mph out of the west-northwest. The humidity ranged from 37% to 48% (Weather Underground 2025). Note: Research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has shown wind speeds on the order of 10 to 20 mph are sufficient to create wind-driven fire conditions in a structure with an uncontrolled flow path (Madrzykowski and Kerber 2009).

On Saturday, June 18, 2022, at approximately 01:53 hours, the Fire Communications Center (FCC) dispatched Box 443 for an apartment fire on the third floor. The units dispatched were Engines 2, 25, 50, & 55, Ladders 3 & 12, Battalions 8 & 10, and Medic 22. Engine 2, Ladder 3, and Battalion 8 responded on the air within two minutes of dispatch and an update was made of “people trapped on the third floor and a possible second address.” At approximately 01:56 hours, Engine 2 arrived on-scene and sized up the fire as “a two-story, end of the row, 16 by 35, appears to be occupied, we got medium smoke coming from the rear, one and one in service.” FCC acknowledged the message and ordered all other incoming units to proceed in and stand by except for Engine 2 and Ladder 3.

Battalion 10 arrived and conducted a size-up on Side Charlie. At approximately 02:12 hours, Command provided a progress report that “Primary is negative, fire is knocked down. We’re conducting the secondary, making good progress.” Command placed the fire under control at approximately 02:18 hours, and units assigned to the box alarm began clearing the scene. At approximately 02:24 hours, Command updated that they were going to go “2 and 2” and keep the rapid intervention team (RIT) company and a medic unit, returning the remaining units of the box alarm.

At approximately 02:33 hours, Fire Marshal 21 arrived on-scene to begin their investigation. At approximately 02:45 hours, Command updated that they were down to 1 and 1 and a medic unit but were still waiting on the utility company and L&I. A building inspector from L&I arrived on-scene at approximately 03:14 hours. Five firefighters including Lieutenant Sean Williamson, Lieutenant Sylvester Burton from the Fire Marshals office, Lieutenant Clarence Johnson, Firefighter Dennis Daly, and Firefighter Robert Brennan, Jr. remained in the building along with Thomas Rybakowski, Supervisor of Emergency Services Unit, L&I. At approximately 03:23 hours, roughly 90 minutes into the incident, the smoldering building came crashing down in a pancake-type collapse trapping four of the firefighters and the building inspector. The Ladder 3 officer transmitted emergency traffic of a “three story collapse with members inside, need a box assignment and a collapse unit.” At approximately 03:25 hours, Box 443 was dispatched for units Squirt 8, Engines 25, 29, & 50, Ladder 12, Battalions 8 & 10, Rescue 1, Medic 29, Collapse Unit 1, and Squads 72 and 72A. Note that Engine 55, Ladder 25, Medics 15 and 19B, and EMS Squad 9 self-dispatched to the incident unrequested.

At approximately 03:27 hours, Engine 50 arrived and sized up the scene as a “full collapse, missing 3 guys right now.” Roughly one minute later Engine 25 announced, “We have located two members. We are going to get them out. We are going to need medic units.” Squirt 8 requested five additional medic units. At approximately 03:29 hours, Squirt 8 arrived and provided an additional scene size-up, “Three story property, we have members involved, looks like three stories, 15 by 45. We have wires down. We need PECO (the power utility) on emergency, have SOC (Special Operations) go into service upon arrival.” At approximately 03:29 hours Battalion 8 requested three additional medic units and Ladder 4 self-dispatched to the incident.

At approximately 03:30 hours, Battalion 8 requested, “Strike out the second alarm. I have three members trapped in a collapse.” FCC dispatched the second alarm of Engines 7, 28, 45, 55, & 59, Ladder 16, Tower Ladder 22, Battalions 2, 3, 4, & 9. EMS Squad 9 arrived and requested all hospital capabilities, medic units assigned, and alerted all EMS units to not be blocked in so they could transport. At approximately 03:34 hours additional units dispatched to the incident included Deputy 3, EMS Squads 1 & 3, Safety Officer 1, and Special Operations 1. At approximately 03:44 hours the first injured firefighter who jumped from the second floor during the collapse was transported from the scene to Temple University Hospital. Fire Marshal 13 self-dispatched to the incident at approximately 03:46 hours. At approximately 03:56 hours the second injured firefighter was transported from the scene to the hospital, and Squad 47 was dispatched to the incident. At approximately 04:09 hours Command updated, “All hands working, in contact with two members on Side Charlie, in contact with one in the center, one member still unaccounted for.” At approximately 04:43 hours Command updated that all hands were still working to remove three missing fire department members and one L&I inspector.

Between 04:45 and 04:53 hours, the following units were requested: Engines 11 & 12, Ladders 14 & 23, and Medics 24 & 46. At approximately 05:01 hours, after the first two injured members were removed from the surface debris, the third member was removed from the debris pile and evaluated by EMS. At 05:04 hours, the fourth member was removed and evaluated by EMS. At 05:08 hours, the third member was transported by EMS to the hospital. At approximately 05:14 hours, the fourth member was transported by EMS to the hospital.

At approximately 05:28 hours, Command provided a progress report that personnel were still working the rescue of another member. During the rescue, it was discovered that Lieutenant Williamson and another firefighter were trapped almost together which made differentiating between the two personnel difficult. At 07:05 hours, Command updated “All members have been removed from the pile.” A fifth member was transported to the hospital by EMS at approximately 07:11 hours. The sixth member, Lieutenant Williamson was declared deceased at the scene. At approximately 07:13 hours, Command asked for the incident to be marked under control and released companies.

Philadelphia Fire Department 1st Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy confirmed shortly before 8 a.m. that Lieutenant Williamson, a 27-year department veteran, died in the collapse. Williamson was working an overtime assignment with Engine 2. His regular assignment was with Ladder 18 in the nearby Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood. Commissioner Murphy said that what initially appeared to be a “pretty routine fire” progressed into a “total collapse” of the building by around 3:30 a.m. Murphy described the collapse as a “lean-to/pancake collapse” with a lot of “void spaces” where people could have been trapped. Six people – a building inspector and five firefighters – were trapped in the building during the collapse, Murphy said. One person jumped from the second floor of the building to avoid being trapped, Murphy said. Others were speaking with rescuers and tapping on debris to help crews identify where they were. He said the five who survived escaped at different times. The fire marshal had begun an extensive investigation, Murphy said, but no foul play was suspected at that time. “You can’t predict this,” Murphy said. “This was just a catastrophic accident that has really hurt our department.” Murphy said the building had been affected by the fire, but it was unclear what caused it to come down. Four of the firefighters and the inspector were taken to a hospital, and the inspector had since been released, he said.

The medical examiner’s report stated the preliminary cause of death for Lieutenant Williamson was mechanical asphyxia due to entrapment in debris from collapsed building after fire.

Fire investigators soon determined that the fire started on the first floor and classified it as arson. Two men were later indicted in connection with the fire and collapse of the Fairhill pizza shop. U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero announced on June 28 that 29-year-old Al-Ashraf Khalil and 29-year-old Issam Jaghama had been indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit malicious damage by means of fire of a building used in interstate commerce and one count of malicious damage by means of fire of a building used in interstate commerce. Khalil was also charged with wire fraud and one count of using fire in advancement of the commission of the wire fraud. The indictment states that Khalil and Jaghama set the fire inside the shop at 300 West Indiana Avenue. The indictment goes on to say the two men were seeking profit by filing an insurance claim, due to the fire. Khalil was the owner of the building which housed apartments and the business.

Despite telling federal agents he wasn’t in the area at the time of the fire, Khalil and an unidentified suspect were both seen on surveillance footage coming in and out of the building before it caught on fire. Video surveillance recovered by investigators showed two suspects minutes before the fire began in the early morning hours of June 18 walking behind a dumpster and entering the basement doors of the property. The video surveillance further showed that, at about 20 minutes later, the two suspects left the location, shortly after which smoke could be seen emanating from the direction of the building, and immediately thereafter flames can be seen on the video.

Although he had told investigators that he had no plans to leave the U.S., Khalil fled the country on June 22 after he was questioned by investigators, law enforcement officials said. But “extraordinary diplomatic efforts” between multiple agencies — including the U.S. Marshals Service, Interpol and the FBI — and Jordanian authorities led to Khalil being refused entry to Jordan and arrested at JFK airport in New York City on June 24, U.S. Marshal Eric Gartner told reporters. Khalil, age 29, was arrested and placed in handcuffs bearing Lieutenant Williamson’s initials and his badge number, according to a local news reporter.

On November 21, 2024, Al-Ashraf Khalil and Isaam Jaghama were convicted at trial in the June 18, 2022, arson fire at the Fairhill pizza shop, which resulted in the death of Lieutenant Sean Williamson and injuries to five other first responders inside the building when it collapsed. A federal jury convicted the defendants on one count each of conspiracy to commit malicious damage by means of fire of a building used in interstate commerce, and one count each of malicious damage by means of fire of a building used in interstate commerce. Khalil was also found guilty of one count of wire fraud, and one count of using fire in furtherance of the commission of that wire fraud. He was sentenced to serve 40 years in prison. Jaghama, who participated in the arson alongside Khalil, would serve a term of 25 years behind bars.

NIOSH investigators identified the following items as key contributing factors in this incident that ultimately led to the fatality and critical injuries:

Change of occupancy.
Frequency of building inspections and follow-up inspections on deficiencies and failures.
Approval and documentation of structural alterations.
Age and condition of the building.
Recognized structural deficiencies.

The NIOSH report seven recommendations:

Recommendation #1: Pursue in-depth change of occupancy inspections to ensure buildings are safe for occupancy and comply with the adopted fire and life safety codes.

Recommendation #2: Identify and communicate hazardous building conditions, dangers, and other hazards to the fire department.

Recommendation #3: Perform building inspections and follow-up inspections in a timely and efficient manner.

Recommendation #4: Strategically deploy safety officers.

Recommendation #5: Train all personnel to employ risk management principles and stop-work authority.

Recommendation #6: Develop pre-incident plans for structures within their first due response area, including mixed-use occupancies and special hazards.

Recommendation #7: Designate buildings as special hazards if they are unstable, in disrepair, or aged beyond their lifespan.

Lieutenant Sean Joseph Williamson, age 51, was a 27-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department assigned to Ladder 18 in Tioga/Nicetown. Prior to his service with the department, he was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. Over his long career, he also served with the specialized Rescue 1 company; taught at the Fire Academy; and was a member of PA-Task Force 1, the federal urban search-and-rescue team sponsored by the department. He was survived by his companion, Dana Kuzma, his son, Patrick Williamson, his daughters, Alyssa Glassey and Kierra Kuzma, his mother, Barbara Nerch-Williamson, his siblings Erin Williamson, Debbie Taraschi, and Donna Nerch, and many aunts, uncles, and the entire Williamson family.

Lieutenant Williamson was laid to rest with full departmental honors on June 27 at the Epiphany of Our Lord Church in South Philadelphia. At the funeral mass attended by hundreds of area firefighters, Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel was among those who eulogized Williamson. “On the day he was killed, Sean was working an overtime shift,” the Commissioner said. “He wasn’t down the shore, enjoying the beautiful weather. He was doing his duty.” Interment services were private for the family.

The name of Lieutenant Sean J. Williamson has been listed on the Philadelphia Firefighters Memorial Wall located at the Firemen’s Hall Museum at 231 North Second Street. The names of 75 volunteer firemen and 304 paid firefighters of the Philadelphia Fire Department who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty are engraved on tiles that comprise the wall. Above the wall is a stained-glass window dedicated to the memory of these brave and dedicated fire fighters. At the base of the wall are display cases with brass plates with name, rank, company, and date of death hand stamped into the plate. The brass plates are made from the brass ring from the coupling of the hose used by the firefighter at the time they were killed. The rings are flattened to allow the information to be stamped by hand. The earliest line of duty deaths on the wall date back to May 9, 1791.

The name of Lieutenant Sean J. Williamson has been inscribed on the 2022 plaque displayed at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the campus of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

There is a memorial to the fallen lieutenant at the site that is maintained by members of the fire department and the neighbors.

Commentary:

Corner and end of row Type III Ordinary construction buildings are prone to collapse after being under assault by fire. In this incident, the pizza shop was located in a corner building that also had a vacant lot on Side Delta that had previously been occupied by a two-story Type III Ordinary construction dwelling that apparently had been torn down. This resulted in the fire building becoming a standalone structure. Often when row houses were originally built, each structure in the row depended upon the adjacent buildings for some of its lateral stability. With the loss of the adjoining building on Side Delta, it is possible that the fire weakened structure collapsed due to the loss of this support.

The NIOSH report also mentions unauthorized renovations being done to the building. Photos of the building taken prior to the fire and collapse show that the front of the structure had been modified at some point to add large display windows to the front of the pizza shop on Side Alpha. While it would appear that these windows had been installed in the building for quite some time, the supporting lintels and columns may have been damaged in the fire or may have been undersized to carry the load of the front facade of the building.

We have attached photos from the scene of the incident. The link to the NIOSH report is here: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/firefighters/programs/pdfs/face202202.pdf

We have also attached a recent article on “taxpayer” commercial/residential building that was published on this group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/192218352449074/permalink/1282008946803337/

Thanks to multiple media sources for the information in this article. Special thanks to group member Christopher Naum for many of the photos.

Honor the service of Lieutenant Sean Williamson by studying the construction characteristics of “taxpayer” commercial/residential buildings with your crew members today.

Remember Fallen Brothers.

Get Out There And Know Your Local!!!

Bravo side of the structure. Note the bump out over the sidewalk and exposed windowsills where windows were covered over.

Upon the arrival of Battalion 8 on-scene, a second size-up was provided on the North Fire radio frequency of, “We got a three-story end of the row, 15 by 45 occupied store front. We have fire showing first floor, medium smoke on the second floor, light smoke
on the third floor, Side Delta is an empty lot, Side Bravo is Third Street. We have three and two in service at this time.” Battalion 8 established Command and at approximately 02:05 hours, updated FCC that they would be going all hands in service, which triggers a dispatch of additional firefighting, EMS, and supervisory resources.
Battalion 10 arrived and conducted a size-up on Side Charlie. At approximately 02:12 hours, Command provided a progress report that “Primary is negative, fire is knocked down. We’re conducting the secondary, making good progress.” Command placed the fire under control at approximately 02:18 hours, and units assigned to the box alarm began clearing the scene. At approximately 02:24 hours, Command updated that they were going to go “2 and 2” and keep the rapid intervention team (RIT) company and a medic unit, returning the remaining units of the box alarm.
Photo of Side Alpha of the fire building after the fire had been brought under control.

Close up view of Side Alpha of the fire building while crews were inside overhauling and investigating the origin and cause of the fire.

Photo taken of firefighters conducting overhaul in the first-floor store on Side Alpha prior to the collapse.

View of Side Bravo of the fire building pre-collapse. Note the cast iron column supporting the Alpha/Bravo corner.

At approximately 03:23 hours, roughly 90 minutes into the incident, the smoldering building came crashing down in a pancake-type collapse trapping four of the firefighters and the building inspector. The Ladder 3 officer transmitted emergency traffic of a “three story collapse with members inside, need a box assignment and a collapse unit.”
Photo of rescuers removing debris by hand.

Another view of the rescue operation taken from Side Bravo.

View of the collapse scene as viewed from Side Bravo.

At approximately 03:30 hours, Battalion 8 requested, “Strike out the second alarm. I have three members trapped in a collapse.” FCC dispatched the second alarm assignment of Engines 7, 28, 45, 55, & 59, Ladder 16, Tower Ladder 22, Battalions 2, 3, 4, & 9. EMS Squad 9 arrived and requested all hospital capabilities, medic units assigned, and
alerted all EMS units to not be blocked in so they could transport. At approximately 03:34 hours additional units dispatched to the incident included Deputy 3, EMS Squads 1 & 3, Safety Officer 1, and Special Operations 1. At approximately 03:44 hours the first
injured firefighter who jumped from the second floor during the collapse was transported from the scene to Temple University Hospital. Fire Marshal 13 self-dispatched to the incident at approximately 03:46 hours. At approximately 03:56 hours the second injured firefighter was transported from the scene to the hospital, and Squad 47 was dispatched to the incident. At approximately 04:09 hours Command updated, “All hands working, in contact with two members on Side Charlie, in contact with one in the center, one member still unaccounted for.” At approximately 04:43 hours Command updated that all hands were still working to remove three missing fire department members and one L&I inspector.
Photo: Firefighters operating on the debris pile searching for trapped members.

At approximately 05:28 hours, Command provided a progress report that personnel were still working the rescue of another member. During the rescue, it was discovered that Lieutenant Williamson and another firefighter were trapped almost together which made differentiating between the two personnel difficult. At 07:05 hours, Command updated “All members have been removed from the pile.” A fifth member was transported to the hospital by EMS at approximately 07:11 hours. The sixth member, Lieutenant Williamson was declared deceased at the scene.
Photo: The body of Lieutenant Sean Williamson being removed from the fire building.

Members honor the fallen lieutenant as his body, wrapped in a U.S. flag is removed from the collapse site.

Aerial view of the collapsed fire building. Note that the roof assembly remained largely intact.

View of the collapsed fire building from the Alpha/Bravo corner after all the trapped personnel had been removed. Photo credit: group member Christopher Naum.

View of the collapsed fire building from the Alpha/Delta corner. Note the intact roof assembly. Photo credit: group member Christopher Naum.

View of the adjacent row houses. The Delta exposure of the fire building was previously occupied by a similar two-story row house with a party wall between structures. Photo credit: group member Christopher Naum.

View of some of the building components in the debris pile. Note the notched floor or roof joists.

View of the collapse scene following the removal of all personnel.

Fellow firefighters salute as the body of Lieutenant Sean Williamson is transferred from Temple University Hosipital to the Medical Examiner’s Office.

There is a memorial to the fallen lieutenant at the site that is maintained by members of the fire department and the neighbors.

Memorial stone at the site of the fatal incident.

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