Philadelphia fire - First lady sends condolences as nine children and three adults die in blaze
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Your support makes all the difference.At least 12 people are feared dead after a fire ripped through a house in Philadelphia. Two others remain in critical condition.
Nine children are thought to have died, in addition to three adults, and an adult and another child have been taken to hospital.
Firefighters were called to the scene in the Fairmount neighbourhood of the city at 6.38am to battle a heavy fire in a three-story row house. When they arrived at the scene, flames were coming out of the second floor of the building and they worked for 50 minutes to regain control of the blaze.
The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) owns the home and inspections were carried out in 2019 and 2020 during which six smoke detectors were installed with 10-year batteries. A further inspection was carried out in May 2021.
As many as 26 people were believed to be living at the property which the Deputy Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said was a tremendous number to be living in a duplex.
He added that the fire was “one of the worst fires I’ve ever been to” during his 35 years of service.
First lady Jill Biden is among those to have sent condolences to the families of the victims.
Video: City and fire officials give press briefing
Lt Governor Fetterman ‘overwhelmed’ by deaths
Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania John Fetterman and his wife Gisele have offered their condolences to the families of those lost in this morning’s fire.
“As parents, our hearts are overwhelmed by the deaths of children under such unthinkable circumstances.’
First lady offers condolences
First Lady Jill Biden, who grew up outside Philadelphia, has sent a message of condolence following this morning’s tragedy in Fairmount.
“My heart is with the families and loved ones of the victims of the tragic fire in Philadelphia,” Dr Biden wrote.
Report: Nine of the victims were children
Authorities have confirmed to Philadelphia’s CBS3 that nine of the victims of this morning’s tragic fire were children and three more were adults. They ranged in age from two to 33.
A final number of fatalities is yet to be confirmed, but as many as 26 people were living at the property.
Eight people self-evacuated and two more were rescued and taken to CHOP and Temple University Hospital.
Video: Flames erupt from windows of Fairmount home
In a video taken on the street this morning, flames can be seen erupting from the second-floor windows of the town home in Fairmount where 13 people are known to have died.
Four smoke detectors ‘were not operational'
Fox6 News, citing fire officials, reports that four of the smoke detectors on the property were not operational.
Too early to decide need for criminal investigation
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said on Wednesday it is “too early” to say if the fatalities from the fire could be considered homicides or if a criminal investigation will be necessary.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Commissioner Outlaw was asked about the tragedy during a previously scheduled virtual briefing about gun violence.
She said: “If there’s any evidence located that determines that the PPD needs to step in, we will do that. But it’s still too early to speak on that at this point.”
District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement his office “is prepared to work with our partner agencies in the event that any criminal act is involved”.
The statement stressed that the DA’s office is not involved at this time, as the investigation is only in its very preliminary stages.
Philadelphia House Democrats release statement
The Democratic members of the Philadelphia House Delegation and Chairman Jason Dawkins released a statement addressing this morning’s house fire:
Our hearts go out to the families of those who tragically lost their lives and to those who were injured in today’s house fire in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. Such a horrific loss of life shakes us to our core, especially when we hear seven children are included in this terrible number. We pray the number of lives lost does not rise.
No year should ever start out like this, with such a tragic loss of innocent life. Poverty should never be a death sentence. There are many questions that we will have for the Philadelphia Housing Authority about how this tragedy came to pass, but right now our focus must be on sharing our prayers, grief, and condolences as one community in mourning.
More evidence a Christmas tree caught fire
NBC10 Philadelphia reports:
Multiple investigative sources said a child who lived in the home told investigators a Christmas tree caught fire and then the child ran out.
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