MARC LEVY
Associated Press Writer

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Fire ripped through a row house in central Pennsylvania on Monday night, killing five people, including four young children, and spreading to other homes, authorities said.


Two white brick houses in uptown Harrisburg were already ablaze when firefighters arrived, Fire Chief Robert Talloni said. A plume of smoke could be seen for miles.

Battalion Chief Daniel Hartman told The Patriot-News that when emergency crews arrived, "People were yelling, `The kids were inside!'"

The fire was reported between 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Firefighters were on scene within three minutes, but were unable to rescue anyone, said Chuck Ardo, a spokesman for the mayor's office.

A 48-year-old woman and four children ranging in age from 2 to 4 were killed, Ardo said. Their names were not immediately available. Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick scheduled a news conference for late Tuesday morning to discuss the blaze.

Fire officials said the home had smoke detectors, but they were not functioning. They said at least four homes appeared to be uninhabitable.

Federal, state, county and city investigators are trying to determine the cause.


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