Driver dead after car crashes into U-Haul building in Kensington, sparking large fire, police say
One person is dead after a car crashed into a U-Haul building, sparking a large fire in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood Thursday morning, police said.
Authorities said police responded to a U-Haul storage facility at 339 E. Lehigh Ave. just after 5:15 a.m. for a report of a vehicle crashing into the building. Police said a dark-colored 2014 Dodge Journey was traveling east when it crashed into the building, which sits directly next to the El, and caught on fire.
When firefighters arrived, they found a vehicle in the side of the building and a fire on the first floor. No employees were in the building at the time of the crash, police said.
The driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead around 5:40 a.m. at the scene, police said. Their body was removed shortly after 8 a.m. The age and gender of the driver are unknown at this time.
PGW said the driver struck a gas meter, causing a natural gas leak.
Surveillance video obtained by CBS News Philadelphia shows the car driving at a high rate of speed before crashing into the building and bursting into flames.
@cbsphiladelphia Surveillance video obtained by CBS News Philadelphia shows a car speeding on Lehigh Ave. in Kensington before plowing into a U-Haul building. The impact of the crash around 5 a.m. Thursday sparked a large fire. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Chopper 3 was overhead, where the car could be seen lodged in the side of the building.
The fire was placed under control around 5:45 a.m., police said.
Parts of Lehigh Avenue and Front Street are back open after being closed to traffic. Service on the El was not impacted by the fire, SEPTA said.
Visitation BVM School, a Catholic school across the street, opened at 10 a.m.
Laneesha Harrison, the U-Haul district manager, says this is not the first time a vehicle has struck the building.
"This is the second time that this has happened," Harrison said. "So, we definitely have to figure out how we can prevent certain things from this, maybe the city of Philadelphia can figure out how we can slow the traffic down on Lehigh Avenue."
The exterior of the building was damaged, but the interior damage was mostly limited to the sprinkler system and the gas line, Harrison said.
The U-Haul facility was expected to remain closed throughout the day.
U-Haul management said they believed customer belongings were OK because the storage units are on the upper floor.
Police said L&I is on scene inspecting the integrity of the building.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
