PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- A fast-moving row home fire caused devastation and injuries in a West Philadelphia neighborhood Wednesday. At least four people are hospitalized, including three children.
The violent fire broke out in the middle of the block in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood on 57th Street, between Chestnut and Sansom streets, around 1:30 p.m., according to a Fire Department spokesperson.
In the course of the incident, one child jumped from the home and was injured. Two other children and one adult woman were also injured. All four people were given EMS treatment at the scene and taken to hospitals.
The first companies arriving on scene reported heavy fire on the first floor and heavy smoke on the second floor of a two-story row home. High winds spread the fire quickly to eight other homes on the block.
The fire was brought under control by 2:50 p.m. More than 75 PFD members were on the scene fighting this fire.
At least 19 neighbors have been displaced, according to the Fire Department.
Resident Alea Copeland wasn't home when the fire broke out, and she told our news gathering partners at NBC 10 she returned to a scene of devastation.
"I come here. The fireman is ripping off my roof and walking out of my bedroom window," she said. "I just can't believe it. It's just unbelievable. I don't know what happened."
Neighbor Joshua Davidson says his house didn’t really catch on fire, but he told NBC 10 he had to help get his grandmother out of the house.
“I had to run out the house, run back in the house to get my grandmom. She has her arms. I have her legs, but eventually she stopped so I had to pick my grandmom up and run her out the house.”
Ameer Barber says he used to live a block away, and he’s never seen anything like this in the old neighborhood.
“It’s a nice community. It’s a nice area. Everybody knows each other, but it’s sad, man. It’s a whole half a block—it’s gone.”
The Fire Marshal's Office is working to determine the cause of the fire.
