At least 13 people, including seven children, lost their lives when a fire tore through a three-story Philadelphia duplex on Wednesday, according to reports.
Around 6:30 a.m. on North 23rd Street in the Fairmount neighborhood Wednesday morning, Firefighters responded to a report of the building on fire, where they found heavy flames coming from the second floor of the three-story building, the Inquirer reported, citing fire officials.
According to Fox News reports, at least 13 people died in the fire that erupted at a property owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority, which is believed to have been equipped with working smoke alarms.
Philadelphia Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy told Fox News that the four smoke detectors inside the building were not functioning.
“This is without a doubt one of the most tragic days in our city’s history,” Mayor Jim Kenney said. “The loss of so many people in such a tragic way. Please keep all these folks and especially these children in your prayers. Losing so many kids is just devastating.”
Police at the scene only described the fire as deadly and declined to confirm the number of fatalities. The row home on the 800 block of the street had been converted into two separate apartments.
The Philadelphia Fire Department wrote on Twitter that it took them almost an hour to place the fire under control.” Murphy added that firefighters encountered heavy flames in a kitchen area on the second floor of the building.
A Housing Authority spokesperson said a press conference about the fire will be held shortly.
