Family And Friends Hope For Miracle As 5-Year-Old Girl Fights For Her Life
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Friends and family of Sophia Olsen are hoping for a miracle Friday.
The little girl is in extremely critical condition after a fast-moving fire tore through her Northeast Philadelphia rowhome.
"She's five years old, just hope for the best," said Robert Olsen, Sophia's uncle.
Today he's asking for prayers and thanking neighbors for their efforts to save the five-year-old.
"We're a small family, we keep to ourselves," Olsen said. "It's just a tragedy."
The fire broke out in Morrell Park around 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
The girl was in a back bedroom. Her mother desperately tried to reach her but couldn't because of the smoke and flames.
Neighbors including an off-duty Philadelphia police officer tried to help.
"Before the fire department arrived, we had a Philadelphia police officer, who was driven back by fire and smoke," said Commissioner Adam Thiel.
Neighbor Fran Goodfriend watched in terror.
"The mother was out there screaming my baby's in there, my baby's in there. No one could get in."
The mother and that off-duty police officer were eventually hospitalized with smoke inhalation.
The little girl was taken to St. Christopher's hospital fighting for her life.
Meanwhile, fire investigators now say they found no working smoke detectors inside the home.
"She just graduated from kindergarten. They have pictures of her on Facebook with her cap and gown. It's really sad."
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Officials have no reason to believe it was intentionally set.
