12 dead, including 8 children, after Philadelphia house fire

Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Twelve people, including eight children, died on Wednesday when fire broke out at a row house in Philadelphia's Fairmount neighborhood, officials said.

The death toll is one fewer than fire officials reported hours earlier while recovery operations were still underway. The number of children deceased was also originally reported as seven.

"This was a tragic day for our city," Mayor Jim Kenney tweeted Wednesday night. "Please keep all these folks, and especially these children, in your prayers. Losing so many kids is just devastating."

Officials said eight people escaped the building with one adult and a child being transferred to local hospitals. Their conditions are unknown.

Firefighters arrived at the three-story property at about dawn and found heavy smoke coming from the second floor of the home, which is owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority.

Officials said they made "an aggressive attack" on the blaze, raising several ladders to windows and the roof to conduct search-and-rescue operations.

It took crews almost an hour to get the blaze under control.

"It's a sad, sad day for both the Philadelphia Fire Department and the citizens of the city of Philadelphia," Philadelphia First Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy told reporters during a press conference.

"I've been around for 35 years now and this is probably one of the worst fires I've ever been to."

The home was divided into separate living spaces and 26 people were living there at the time of the fire.

The PHA is the nation's fourth-largest public housing authority and owns more than 14,000 affordable housing units, according to its website.

"There were four smoke detectors in that building and none of them operated," Murphy added.

"There was an inspection done by the PHA in 2019. When they went out in 2019, they installed four smoke detectors. And there was another inspection in 2020. When they went out that time, they installed two smoke detectors."

Officials said the fire doesn't appear to be suspicious, but the cause is under investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is aiding in the inquiry.

"We plan on making sure that this tremendous loss of life did not happen in vain," Murphy said.

"I don't have the words for how we are feeling now as a community."

The Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania said it's providing emergency assistance it a family of five displaced from the building's first floor by the fire.