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Mother, Three Children Killed In Pennsylvania Fire
WTFX
Reprinted with Permission
PHILADELPHIA - A fatal fire in the Feltonville section of Philadelphia claimed the lives of a mother and her three children overnight.
Firefighters were called out to the house fire at Palethrop and Loudon streets shortly before 1:30 a.m.
By the time they made it to the second floor they found the mother, her two girls and one boy dead.
One firefighter had a difficult time getting out of the home but was rescued by other firefighters. The firefighter wasn't injured.
We have not learned what could have started the fire. The house was destroyed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers is calling this "a real tragedy" and said that the firefighters who made that discovery are "distraught." Any fatal fire is terrible for them, but especially having to see dead children and remove bodies is very hard for them to cope with.
Firefighters also faced difficult conditions, which included a wind chill of 12 degrees. Fighting fires at low temperatures can mean it's hard to get the hydrants to start and the spraying water makes ladders slippery.
Reprinted with Permission
PHILADELPHIA - A fatal fire in the Feltonville section of Philadelphia claimed the lives of a mother and her three children overnight.
Firefighters were called out to the house fire at Palethrop and Loudon streets shortly before 1:30 a.m.
By the time they made it to the second floor they found the mother, her two girls and one boy dead.
One firefighter had a difficult time getting out of the home but was rescued by other firefighters. The firefighter wasn't injured.
We have not learned what could have started the fire. The house was destroyed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers is calling this "a real tragedy" and said that the firefighters who made that discovery are "distraught." Any fatal fire is terrible for them, but especially having to see dead children and remove bodies is very hard for them to cope with.
Firefighters also faced difficult conditions, which included a wind chill of 12 degrees. Fighting fires at low temperatures can mean it's hard to get the hydrants to start and the spraying water makes ladders slippery.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by WestPhilly on
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In the last four days in Philadelphia, three multiple-alarm fires (one 4-alarm and two 5-alarm) and this quadruple fatal fire have occurred, along with several run-of-the-mill dwelling and building fires. No consideration whatsoever on the part of the city fathers has been given to ending, or even curtailing, the practice of "browning out" companies on a daily basis.
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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WP,
Have the brown outs had any documented affects on response times or outcomes? Or is this practice still a tragedy waiting to happen? In light of all the recent activity (one 4-alarm and two 5-alarms!) plus the usual work load, is the mayor publicly defending his decision(s)? Or does he commend the FD for their excellent work and hide his hand with the crossed fingers? Ya gotta love politicians, I think their patron saint/god is Janus.
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Jack,
It depends on who you ask about the documented affects on response times and outcomes. The Philly Firefighters Union - naturally - insists the brownouts have a negative affect on both. The city - naturally - insists otherwise. Both entities use the same facts to support their opposing conclusions. For instance: A job in August of last year resulted in the death of a young autistic boy. The closest engine company (three blocks away) had been browned out. That made the next closest engine company (1 mile away) 1st in. That company arrived on location in about four minutes - well within the accepted standard for response times. That's the angle the city played with the public. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the company three blocks away would have gotten there much faster, and may have been able to get the kid out. That's the angle the union played with the public. I know I have a biased opinion with respect to this matter, but I'm thinking the union had a point.
At any rate, even though the immediate community got the point - and made it known they got the point - the outrage eventually subsided as the Phillies' pennant race and the soaring temperatures and humidity in the city took center stage. (Priorities, you know.)
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