1 dead, 2 injured in South Philadelphia fire
New details emerge after deadly fire in Point Breeze
A house fire broke out on the 1600 block of Ellsworth Street in Point Breeze just before 11:00 a.m. Monday, leaving one man dead and sending two others to the hospital in stable condition, according to fire officials.
PHILADELPHIA - One person is dead and two others were taken to the hospital after a fire broke out Tuesday morning in South Philadelphia.
What we know:
Firefighters from the Philadelphia Fire Department were called to a residence on the 1600 block of Ellsworth Street just before 11 a.m.
Officials say a man was pronounced dead at the scene of the fire, and two other adults were taken to Jefferson University Hospital.
The adult male and adult woman are in stable condition, according to officials.
Neighbors react to deadly fire and recall the victims
Fire officials said crews arrived within about three minutes of the call and quickly worked to stop the flames from spreading to other row homes.
"Fire spreads quick really fast we got here. We got water on the fire and knocked it down to where it didn’t get to spread to these other row homes. That’s always a dynamic, especially in Philadelphia, being how it has been designed with the rowhomes we don’t want them to spread to the left or to the right and then we lose an entire block," said Daniel McCarty, Executive Chief, Philadelphia Fire Department.
Amber Holmes, who lives nearby, said she was one of the first to call 911 after seeing the house next door engulfed in flames. "I decided to look outside and the whole first and second floor was engulfed in flames," said Holmes.
She described her immediate concern for the safety of those inside, saying, "who is alive, who’s not alive, just people’s safety is my main concern…"
Holmes said an elderly couple lived in the home with a caretaker.
She recalled recently speaking to the man who died in the fire. "That hurts my heart so bad, I just saw him the other day he looked very good, I said hi and gave him a hug, he asked me to get him a Pepsi from the store and it really hurts my heart bad…"
Tamara Vickers, another neighbor, described her reaction to the fire. "I’m still shaking, my hands are still shaking, it’s really unbelievable it’s so unbelievable…," said Vickers.
What we don't know:
It's unknown at this time how the fire started.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims or the cause of the fire.
There is no update yet on the condition of the two people taken to the hospital beyond their stable status.