PHILADELPHIA — At least 12 people, including eight children, were killed in a fire early Wednesday morning at a home in Philadelphia's Fairmount neighborhood, firefighters said.
Two more people were hospitalized.
Investigators said there were at least four smoke detectors – possibly two more –in the home, but none were working.
Firefighters were first dispatched just after 6:30 a.m. to the converted three-story rowhouse that contained two apartments. They found flames shooting out of the second-floor windows.
The fire was extinguished about an hour later.
Firefighters described it as one of the worst fires they had ever seen. The fire marshal was working to determine the cause, as of early Wednesday afternoon.
“You just pray for all involved,” Police Spokesperson Eric McLaurin told the New York Times. “It’s a bad situation.”
Editor's note: Fire officials originally reported 13 people had died, including seven children. Firefighters now say 12 people, including eight children, perished in the fire.
