Dog killed, 7 people displaced after rowhome fire in Philadelphia's Holmesburg neighborhood
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Seven people are out of their homes after a fire in Northeast Philadelphia's Holmesburg neighborhood early Monday morning.
Philadelphia fire crews responded to the blaze on the 4700 block of Shelmire Avenue shortly after 5:30 a.m., where a fire had broken out at a two-story rowhome, just off Torresdale Avenue. The fire then spread to two neighboring houses.
A spokesperson for the city's fire department said the blaze became an "all-hands" situation and brought about 60 firefighters to the scene. The fire was placed under control just before 6:30 a.m.
Neighbors told CBS Philadelphia they heard screams and their neighbor calling for help after the fire broke out, and believe a woman broke her leg trying to escape the fire. Officials have only confirmed that three people were treated by EMS at the scene before they were transported to the hospital, and that a dog was killed in the fire.
"I was woken up by bangs on my door and on my windows saying, 'Fire! Fire! Fire! Get out! Get out! Get out!" Marsha Davis, whose home was among those damaged, said Monday morning. "It was frightening... very frightening."
Another neighbor, Calvin Anderson, said he escaped from the basement after he saw smoke come into his home.
The Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
