PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Federal and local fire investigators were in Fairmount Thursday combing through the scene after a devastating fire killed a family of 12, including eight children.
Fire investigators are pulling records, interviewing witnesses and working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), using a 3-D scanner to capture the entire scene.
“It’s supposed to take in hundreds and hundreds of still pictures,” explained Philadelphia Fire Deputy Chief Dennis Merrigan. “We are going to scan the entire room. It’s almost like virtual reality — we can take that scene later, process it through the computer, and look at it in extreme detail.”
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As for the cause of the fire, officials say they haven’t ruled anything out. Matt Varisco, ATF special agent in charge, noted that the bureau works with the fire department in nearly every major fire, even accidental ones.
“In formulating an opinion as to what occurred, we follow the scientific method,” he said. “We’re going to collect data and evaluate that data to formulate a hypothesis.”
Investigators would not get into details but said four smoke detectors in the duplex were not working. There was also no fire escape from the building.
“We have to eliminate all potential ignition sources within a building,” Varisco continued. “Obviously electricity flows through a building and there’s a potential ignition source, so as the agents and engineers are conducting the investigation, it would not be appropriate to comment on what’s been ruled in or ruled out.”
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office signed off on a search warrant for detectives to enter the property — which the office has to do anytime police enter a building for an investigation, and is often done in major incidents.
The warrant was based on statements made by a young child who survived. He had talked about playing with fire near a Christmas tree. Investigators do not believe the fire is suspicious, but they say they’re trying to create a detailed timeline before they determine exactly what caused the blaze.
High occupancy in two-unit row house
Philadelphia Housing Authority President Kelvin Jeremiah defended the occupancy and maintenance of the building, which had been divided into two units.
Fire officials said there were 18 people in the building where the blaze erupted. Jeremiah said the lease showed 14 authorized tenants. He said there were six tenants when the family moved in 10 years ago, but the daughters had children of their own.
“This was in fact an intact family who chose to live together. This is what we do. We do not kick out our family members, our loved ones, who do not have other suitable housing options,” he said. “Our policies and procedures do not evict people because they have children. We don’t remove them because families are growing. I think the absurdity of that notion is self-explanatory.”
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He also tied the tragedy to the affordable housing crisis in Philadelphia and the nation, making an emotional plea for more funding.
“While the conditions are deteriorating nationally, our families wait and wait and wait, and they can wait no more,” he said. “It has become a matter of life and death for too many families, and this unfortunate, unimaginable tragedy highlights that in some real ways.”
Jeremiah said PHA has $1.5 billion in deferred capital needs, which limits options for families in public housing. At the same time, he said the family that perished in the Fairmount house had shown no desire to move.
PHA had inspected the units for fire safety as recently as last spring, he added. There were 13 smoke detectors and six carbon monoxide detectors, all equipped with 10-year lithium batteries and fully operational.
