PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A person of interest is in custody after a devastating fire ripped through a row home in Strawberry Mansion Friday morning, leaving a pregnant woman and two young children dead. Two others, a woman and a child, were also injured.
It happened shortly before 5 a.m. at a home toward the middle of the block of Corlies Street, near West Cumberland Street. Crews rushed to the scene.
“There was … one adult female who jumped from the second floor with a child,” said Deputy Fire Commissioner Carl Randolph.
That woman was critically injured, officials said, but the child she jumped with is stable.
Two other children, ages 4 and 5, were in the house. They were taken to the hospital in critical condition but ultimately succumbed to their injuries.
It took about 15 minutes to get the fire under control. Once extinguished, firefighters went through the house and found a woman dead in a second-floor bedroom. She was pregnant, the victim's aunt said.
Officials say the fire was intentionally set, and a person of interest is in custody. No charges have been filed.
Officials said there were working smoke alarms in the house. They did not say what the exact relationships were between the people in the house.
The house is charred inside and out, leaving behind significant damage.