Fire damaged windows are seen at the scene of a deadly row house fire, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A large house fire in Philadelphia early Wednesday killed 13 people, including seven children, and sent two people to hospitals, fire officials said.
Officials said at a news conference later in the morning that there were four smoke detectors in the building but that none were operating.
Firefighters and police responded to the fire at a three-story rowhouse in the city’s Fairmount neighborhood around 6:40 a.m. and found flames coming from the second-floor windows, fire officials said. The house had been converted into two apartments, police said.
The fire was brought under control after less than an hour. WPVI-TV reported that at least one child was seen taken out on a stretcher.
Television news footage showed ladders propped up against the smoke-blackened front of the house, with all its windows missing. Holes remained in the roof where firefighters had broken through.
"I knew some of those kids -- I used to see them playing on the corner,” said Dannie McGuire, 34, fighting back tears as she and Martin Burgert, 35, stood in the doorway of a home around the corner. They had lived there for a decade, she said, “and some of those kids have lived here as long as us.”
“I can’t picture how more people couldn’t get out -- jumping out a window,” she said.
“Losing so many kids is just devastating,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “Keep these babies in your prayers.”
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals, Jen Young, Outdoorsy co-founder and CMO, breaks down the travel industry trend towards RVs and camper vans, and how the evolution of work-from-home culture has caused it to jump; Nick DiBella, Senior Vice President of Operations for Sun Outdoors, discusses why transforming into an outdoor hospitality company was so crucial at this time, the evolution of outdoor travel, and what this means for the future of the travel industry; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Woodstock Bus.'
Nick DiBella, Senior Vice President of Operations for Sun Outdoors, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss why transforming into an outdoor hospitality company was so crucial at this time, the evolution of outdoor travel, and what this means for the future of the travel industry.
Jen Young, Outdoorsy co-founder and CMO, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss the travel industry trend towards RVs and camper vans, and how the evolution of work-from-home culture has caused it to jump.
'West Side Story' is off to a slow start, the film debuted with $10.5 million. Thom Geier, executive editor at the Wrap, joins Cheddar News to discuss the movies people should be looking forward to and the overall state of the industry.
Cheddar is looking back at the 12 biggest buzzwords of the year leading up to Christmas. Today's word of the day, 'Yolo Trade.' Yolo Trade: (noun) derived from the acronym 'You Only Live Once.' Describes a trade where someone goes all in on a stock.
Matt Schulz, Chief Credit Analyst at LendingTree, joins Cheddar to break down the different types of credit card rewards that are out there, which states utilize rewards more than others, and how to get the most out of your credit card rewards.
