2 people dead, 1 seriously hurt after fire tears through South Philadelphia apartment building
An early morning apartment fire in Philadelphia's Bella Vista neighborhood has claimed the lives of two people and seriously hurt another.
According to Philadelphia Deputy Fire Commissioner Gustav Baumann, fire crews were called out to the 900 block of South 8th Street just after 2 a.m. Friday. When they arrived, they saw heavy smoke and flames from the apartment building.
Baumann said that in total, three people were rescued from the second floor of the building by fire crews. They were then transported by medics to Jefferson Health, where two were pronounced dead and the other was listed in critical condition.
"Our firefighters are struggling right now. They did a wonderful job on scene, but they are also a part of the community that they serve, too, so there are often times you work in a community that you live in or that you frequent in or where you're friends are," said Baumann. "So it's difficult for them."
The fire was placed under control around 3 a.m.
The Philadelphia Fire Marshal and investigators are working to determine what caused the blaze to break out. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is helping the Philadelphia Fire Department with the investigation.
Neighbors were stunned, calling what happened a tragedy.
Tony Aita lives in the neighborhood and was shocked to see the damage to the building.
"Heartbreaking, it was terrible to see that," said Aita.
"I was asleep and then my partner woke me up and told me that the building had caught on fire," said Larry Herring.
Herring lives next door and was worried the fire could spread to his home. He is now thanking the firefighters, but also thinking about the lives lost.
"It's very unfortunate. It's sad," he said.
Hours after the fire, crews worked to clean and board up the building. The damage is extensive.
Fire officials said the investigation will take time. The deputy fire commissioner said it's unclear if the building had working smoke detectors, but it will be a part of the investigation.
