2 Children Killed, 3 Adults Injured In Strawberry Mansion House Fire As Neighbors Say Firefighters Had Difficulty Finding Working Fire Hydrant
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A house fire left two young children dead and three adults injured in Philadelphia's Strawberry Mansion neighborhood. The flames broke out just after 4 a.m. Monday on the 2400 block of North Myrtlewood Street.
The children were 2 and 4 years old.
Firefighters rushed to the scene in Strawberry Mansion, but it was difficult for them to find a working fire hydrant. Witnesses say they went to a number of nearby blocks before they were able to find water.
"I could hear them yelling, 'We need water, we need water,' and some of them were running down the street trying to get water, but they had to go over on the other blocks to get the water," a witness said.
Neighbors say the family has seven children and some managed to escape through the back of the home.
"You could hear the mother and father outside screaming telling them her children were in the house," a witness said.
There was a lot of chaos and screaming out front, but once they realized two of the children were still inside, that father went back in to try and save them. He ended up with burns and, unfortunately, the children did not survive.
Fire officials say the blaze started on the first floor and went up to the second floor. Battling heavy rain and winds, and with aggressive efforts, it took more than an hour to get the fire under control.
Officials say about 60 firefighters, medics, and support personnel responded to the scene.
"They made an aggressive interior attack and extinguished the fire," Philadelphia Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Richard Davison said. "At this time, our fire marshals are on location to conduct an investigation on the cause and origin. There was no extension to the left and right exposures. However, there was a small extension to the second floor."
The family moved to the block about a year ago and neighbors banded together to help during this tragedy.
"He looks like he might have had some injuries to trying to go back in to save his children and put the fire out. Then there was another neighbor that took in the other kids to make sure they were safe and stuff," one neighbor said.
"I can't imagine. And watching so many people around here, their horrifying face this morning, watching as the firemen carry these babies and stuff out. It's terrifying. Even their pets and stuff. It's really devastating. They lost everything," another neighbor said.
One neighbor says nearby fire hydrants have been down for a couple months now and has called to get them fixed, but a number of them are still broken.
However, the fire department said no fire companies have reported any problems with the water supply.
Meanwhile, a nearby funeral home has offered to take care of the children's funeral expenses.
