PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Flames broke out overnight through a North Philadelphia rowhome, leaving a 6-year-old girl and a 44-year-old woman dead and two others injured.
It was around 3:30 a.m. Friday, when fire crews arrived at a rowhome along North Fourth Street near West Clearfield.
Officials said six people were inside at the time. When firefighters arrived, they found two people trapped on the porch behind white metal bars. Crews were able to bring them to safety. Inside the home's basement were four people, including two children who were in a bathroom in an attempt to seek refuge.
Acting Executive Fire Chief Daniel McCarty said this was a challenge because of possible hoarding conditions, as there were a lot of belongings in the house.
“There’s no visibility down there for the firefighters, so they’re making access, looking for people, also actively fighting this fire,” McCarty said. “So it was a lot of factors with this. But all in all, it was truly a tragedy, and it actively is, especially for this community.”
A young boy remains in extremely critical condition and a man in his 20s is in stable condition after suffering from smoke inhalation.
Councilmember Quetcy Lozada said her "heart is heavy" as they "process the tragic loss of two lives and the serious injuries to two other members of our community."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.