Man suffers burns after breaking down burning door to help loved ones escape Tioga fire
Man suffers burns after breaking down door to help loved ones escape Tioga fire
No one was seriously injured after a house fire consumed a three-story property in Tioga. A man said he smelled the smoke and rushed downstairs where his godson and his mother were sleeping, breaking down a burning door to help them escape safely.
PHILADELPHIA - At least three people were taken to the hospital after a house fire overnight in the Tioga section of Philadelphia.
What we know:
Firefighters were called to the 1500 block of Erie Avenue around 1:30 a.m. for reports of a house fire.
Crews arrived to find flames coming from the second floor of the three-story home where at least five people live.
Some residents managed to escape the fire through a second-floor window, onto a porch roof where they awaited rescue.
Firefighters placed the fire under control, but the Department of Licenses and Inspections ruled the property unsafe.
What they're saying:
A man who lives at the home told reporters that he smelled smoke and ran downstairs where his godson and the godson's mother were sleeping.
The man said he suffered burns on his back after breaking down a burning backdoor to help his loved ones escape the blaze.
"I don't know how [the fire] happened, I just know that I smelled the smoke from the third floor, I saw the smoke in the hallway, I rushed down three flights of stairs to get to the door because my godson was on the first floor asleep," he said.
What we don't know:
The cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time.
Residents say someone was captured on camera throwing something at the backdoor moments before the fire started.
The Source: Information provided by the Philadelphia Fire Department and witnesses at the scene.