WTFX
Reprinted with Permission

PHILADELPHIA - Two back-to-back fires in Philadelphia last night are raising questions about those firehouse rolling brownouts.


A massive fire that engulfed an empty warehouse at 2000 East Boston Street in the city's Kensington section was brought under control overnight.

The fire began shortly before 7 p.m. and went to five alarms by 9 p.m. Monday. Approximately 20 homes surrounding the warehouse were evacuated by 10 p.m. as nearly 150 firefighters worked to contain the blaze at that time.

The Red Cross assisted displaced families at Kensington High School, where a temporary shelter was set up.

SkyFox was over the scene where several transformers burst into flames.

Meanwhile, not far away, there was a separate fatal fire around 8 p.m. on the 3200 block of North 17th Street in North Philadelphia. An elderly man was found dead on the second floor of the row home.

"This is the 25th fire death. We just feel real bad about it," Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said at that scene. "As we went through the home and went through the house, we found smoke alarms with no batteries. We found a smoke alarm with dead batteries. We found mounting brackets with no smoke alarm at all. So, we're kind of upset about that."

During the intense warehouse fire, there was more intense criticism of the fire department savings plan known as "rolling brownouts" that Mayor Michael Nutter's administration has put into effect, closing some fire houses and temporarily shutting others.

Monday night's fires follow a city council hearing last week during which the city's fire commissioner and the deputy mayor for public safety said the temporary shutdowns and savings do not affect saving lives.

City residents and firefighters disagreed at that hearing, and they disagreed even stronger Monday night, making the argument that both fires may not have been as bad had the fire department not been cut back as much as it was.

Asked what was going through his mind at the Kensington fire scene, Bill Gault, president of the International Association of Firefighters' Local 22, answered, "The safety of my men and the safety of this city right now."

Gault added, "We've got five alarms going on here. We're going to lose at least three buildings. We have another fire going on at 17th and Allegheny, where we have a dead one involved there – another fire death – and right now they're calling people and ordering them into work. They're putting 100 series and 200 series pumpers, reserve pieces, into service because we've run out of people."

Gault blamed the need to call up those resources on both the brownouts that began in August and the closure of seven fire companies.

"It's a combination of both," he said. "We've been severely understaffed, and we've been waiting for this to happen, and now it happens. And right now if (there's) another fire, probably two to three neighborhoods right now are completely unprotected."

Tom Callahan, a spokesman for the firefighters' union, said at the fatal row home fire scene, "The engines that responded to here were to cover-up companies going to an extra-alarm fire. One was from Engine 51, which is up in the Olney section of the city, and Engine 40 was from Southwest Philadelphia."

Before the sun was up Tuesday, SkyFox showed the warehouse fire was still smoldering. Many fire trucks remained at the scene pouring water on the remains of the five-story structure as dark smoke continued to rise from between the still-standing brick walls.

Gault said of the brownout policy, "It scares me to death. It scares me for me and it scares me for the families, and it scares me for the men and women I'm sworn to protect. What needs to be done is for them to find this goofy amount of money, put the companies back in service, and stop this rolling the dice with the brownouts."

Authorities are still investigating the cause of both the warehouse and fatal row home fires.

Five people were hurt at yet another fire at 48th and in West Philadelphia. Fire crews were called at about 2:45 a.m. and arrived on the scene within minutes.

Four people were trapped inside and hurt there. The two adults and two children were rescued using a ladder that was at the house due to some construction.

The children were taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Fire officials said none of the injuries in this fire were serious.