The Philadelphia Fire Department says seven children are among at least 13 dead after a house fire erupted in the Fairmount section of the city on Wednesday morning.
Firefighters arrived at the three-story structure at 869 N. 23rd St. in the city’s Fairmount neighborhood at about 6:40 a.m. EST, according to the Philadelphia Fire Department.
The fire department said it took about 50 minutes to bring the fire under control. The view from the Action Cam and Chopper 6 showed multiple fire crews on the scene.
“Without a doubt one of the most tragic days in our city’s history,” Mayor Jim Kenney said at a news conference.
Officials say 18 people lived in a 2nd-floor apartment of the three-story duplex. Another eight people lived on the first floor.
Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said it was a “tremendous amount of people to be living in a duplex.”Losing so many kids is just devastating,” Kenney said. “Keep these babies in your prayers.”
The Philadelphia Housing Authority said the most recent inspection of the property was done in May 2021, adding that all the smoke detectors were operating properly at that time.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
