A woman died and two firefighters were injured in a rowhome fire in Manayunk on Wednesday morning, 6abc reported. The fire was called in around 9 a.m. in the 4400 block of Fleming Street.
Her name has not been released. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Four Rescued, One Woman Died
Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames and to hear people screaming inside, 6abc reported. Four people were rescued, and one of them later died.
Philadelphia Fire Department Executive Chief Daniel McCarty told NBC10 (NBC Philadelphia) that four people got out before crews reached the house and one person was trapped. The accounts differ on whether the woman was pulled out alive or found inside.
The department has not reconciled them publicly.
According to the FOX 29 summary of the department’s information, five people were in the home when the fire started.
Two Firefighters Hospitalized
McCarty said both firefighters, who were taken to a hospital, were in stable condition, NBC10 reported. A later update said one has been released and the other remains stable.
6abc put the total number of injured at three, including the two firefighters. McCarty said another person was hurt but did not say how seriously, according to NBC10.
Fire Spread to the Attached Home
The fire began in one house and spread to the attached rowhome, fire officials said at the scene, according to CBS News Philadelphia. The block is between Green Lane and Lyceum Avenue.
The flames gutted the three-story house where the fire started and tore a hole through the roof of the neighboring home. More than 60 firefighters worked about 40 minutes to put it out, according to fire officials.
Smoke Alarms and Investigation
Fire officials said firefighters did not hear smoke alarms when they arrived. Officials at the scene believe the home where the fire started had no working smoke detectors, CBS News Philadelphia reported.
The fire marshal was at the scene on Wednesday working to determine how the fire grew so large and so quickly, McCarty told NBC10. The department has not announced a cause.
