Elderly woman dies after fire rips through rowhome in South Philadelphia
An elderly woman died after a fire ripped through a rowhome in South Philadelphia early Sunday morning.
Assistant Fire Chief Charles Walker said that crews responded to the 600 block of Kimball Street around 2:30 a.m., where they saw heavy flames coming from the first floor of the three-story residence near the Italian Market. While in the process of fighting the flames and searching the home, Walker said firefighters found the 78-year-old woman and tried to resuscitate her.
She was later pronounced dead at the scene. Fire officials have not released the woman's name.
Walker said it took about an hour to fully extinguish the blaze, which spread to the full length of the rowhome. He also noted that there were no active smoke alarms in the home, and reminded Philadelphia residents to call 311 and have alarms installed at no cost.
No other injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported.