Children among the 13 dead in large Philadelphia house fire
Posted January 5, 2022 6:45 am.
Last Updated January 5, 2022 9:50 am.
Officials say a large house fire in Philadelphia has killed at least 13 people, including seven children, and sent two people to hospital.
Firefighters and police responded to the fire at a three-story rowhouse in the city’s Fairmount neighborhood around 6:40 a.m. Monday and found flames coming from the second-floor windows.
The house had been converted into two apartments, police said. It’s believed about 26 people were staying in the publicly-owned building.
The building did have smoke detectors, but none appeared to be working at the time of the fire, according to investigators.
The Philadelphia Housing Authority says the alarms had been inspected annually and at least two had been replaced in 2020.
The city’s mayor, Jim Kenney, was emotional as he spoke hours after the tragedy.
“This is without a doubt one of the most tragic days in our city’s history. We lost so many people at such a tragic time,” Kenney said.
— Philadelphia Fire (@PhillyFireDept) January 5, 2022
“Please keep all these folks, especially these children in your prayers. Losing so many kids, it’s just devastating…again keep these babies in your prayers.”
The fire was brought under control after less than an hour, but officials remained on the scene as of 9:30 a.m.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
