PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A woman and two children were killed in an early-morning house fire in North Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Firefighters responded to a two-story row home on Hope Street, near Tioga Street, around 1 a.m. They encountered a fire on the first floor and heavy smoke throughout the home, according to Deputy Fire Chief Frank Hannan.
Crews took three people out of the building: 5-year-old Sebastian Rodriguez-DeJesus, his 6-year-old sister Kataleya Garcia and 45-year-old Nidre Annette Ayala. Ayala was staying with them while their mother worked, according to family members.
All three were rushed to area hospitals, where they were pronounced dead, officials said.
After the flames were extinguished and the smoke cleared, officials with the Philadelphia Fire Marshal's Office and the ATF went through the property to investigate the cause of the blaze.
The fire appeared to be contained to the one property, which did not have working smoke alarms, according to Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson. "[It's] vitally important that you have working smoke alarms because they will give you that advance notice and give you an opportunity to escape," he said.
KYW Newsradio's John McDevitt contributed to this story.
