Philadelphia firefighters battle 3-alarm building fire

SOMERTON (WTXF) - Fire crews worked to contain a three alarm fire at an auto body shop in Northeast Philadelphia Friday morning.

First responders arrived on the 200 block of Bennett Road in Somerton and found the building ablaze, with flames quickly spreading to neighboring businesses.

Officials say the fire began before 9:00 a.m. and took more than 90 minutes for crews to control.

According to officials, interruptions made it tough for them to act as swiftly as they would have liked to. First responders say railroad tracks blocked them from getting to one key side of the building, which impacted the water supply logistics.

"There was an issue with the volume of water that we needed so some of the companies had to do what we call a water relay in from the Boulevard which was a good stretch," said Philadelphia Fire Battalion Chief Thomas Kane.

Officials closed Roosevelt Boulevard in both directions in the area of Comly Road and Bennett Road while they worked to extinguish the blaze.

Fire officials are still investigating what caused the inferno.