PHILADELPHIA, April 9 (UPI) -- A fire that started in a warehouse and spread to a furniture store and six houses killed two Philadelphia firefighters and injured three, officials said.
The fire was reported at 3:13 a.m. Monday and declared uncontrollable about 2 hours later, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The warehouse is attached to the furniture store, where the firefighters became trapped after a wall and part of the roof collapsed about 5:50 a.m., officials said.
It took other firefighters 2 hours to reach those who were trapped, Deputy Fire Commissioner Ernest Hargett said.
Flying embers from the fire forced the evacuation of nearby residents, Hargett said.
The six houses were damaged, the reports said.
Fire officials said the firefighters who died were Lt. Robert Neary, 60, and Daniel Sweeney.
Colleagues of the men told the Inquirer Neary was hoping to retire soon and Sweeney was the son of a recently retired fire captain.
"We're asking for prayers for the families," said Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers. "This is a terrible tragedy."
The three injured firefighters were taken to a hospital where one of them was admitted and the other two were were being evaluated, Hargett said.
The fire was initially reported as a rubbish fire and, fanned by strong winds, quickly became a five-alarm blaze, officials said.
Officials closely monitored the burned out warehouse, fearing that remaining sections of the building could collapse, WPVI-TV reported.
