Firefighters could be seen working on the roof of a Manayunk rowhome Wednesday morning as smoke poured from the building where a woman was killed and two first responders were hurt, officials said.
At about 9 a.m. on Sept. 30, NBC10’s SkyForce 10 captured footage of fire crews working to stop flames as they tore through a rowhome along the 4000 block of Fleming Street in Philly’s Manayunk community.
In a Wednesday morning update, Philadelphia Fire Department Executive Chief Daniel McCarty said four people were able to escape the burning home before firefighters arrived but one individual was trapped inside.
“When they got out of their trucks, firefighters could hear people screaming that there was help needed,” he said.
One person, who was identified by family members as 62-year-old Janice Flemming, was killed in the flames.
“She was kind, she was very kind, loving, hard worker, it’s very devastating for our family right now,” June Slowick, Flemming’s sister, told NBC10.
Neighbors said Flemming made it out of the fire initially but decided to go back in to save her dogs.
Officials said two of Flemming’s dogs survived the morning fire and animal control brought them out. However, they said one dog did not make it.
McCarty said another person was hurt in the fire, but he was not certain how severe the injuries were.
McCarty also said two firefighters were hurt during the response and have been hospitalized in stable condition.
Scott Bigos lives in the home right next door and ran outside to screams of terror. He has nowhere to stay right now, but is thankful to be safe after seeing the damage.
“They’re dealing with making sure that everyone else in their family is safe and they’re screaming and running back and forth, so that was really intense. Much more intense than anything I had to deal with, to be honest,” Bigos said.
The flames were put out in about 40 minutes, and an investigation is underway to determine what led to the incident. Firefighters described the house to NBC10 as a hoarding situation.
“The fire marshal is on scene, really just putting the pieces together on how this fire got so big, so fast, so quick this early morning,” McCarty said.
Grandmother killed, 2 firefighters hurt in Manayunk rowhome fire – NBC10 Philadelphia
