Philadelphia Rowhouse Fire Kills 13; Smoke Detectors Not Working, Fire Official Says

In what’s being called one of the deadliest residential fires in recent Philadelphia history, a blaze at a rowhouse killed 13 people Wednesday, including seven children, according to local news reports.

“This is without a doubt one of the most tragic days in our city’s history, the loss of so many people in such a tragic way,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said at a news conference. “Losing so many kids is just devastating.”

Authorities said at least 18 people were living in the upper floors of the three-story building. Eight people were able to escape, and two were taken to a hospital.

The building was a Philadelphia Housing Authority property, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation, fire officials told the USA Today newspaper. The fire occurred on North 23rd Street, according to the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said the Housing Authority had inspected the building in 2019 and 2020, and both times installed smoke detectors. The detectors were battery-operated with 10-year lithium batteries in them, but “none of them operated,” Murphy said.

Firefighters responded to the fire at around 6:40 a.m. Wednesday and found heavy fire and smoke on the second story, the Philadelphia Fire Department said in a tweet. It took about 50 minutes to get the fire under control, the department said.

Photo: A Philadelphia firefighter works at the scene Wednesday morning in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)