A fire that erupted Monday night inside a North Philadelphia rowhouse left a person dead and another hospitalized, authorities said.
Firefighters responded just before 10:30 p.m. to the home at the corner of Hutchinson and Schiller streets, Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner Kathy Matheson said. They noticed heavy flames on the first floor, and the blaze eventually spread to both levels of the building, she added.
Matheson said the Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the death, and no information has been publicly released about the victim. Medics took the injured person, who had escaped from the building on their own, to the hospital, and there was no word on their condition.
Fire Department officials believe five people were displaced from two homes as a result of the blaze, the cause of which is being investigated by the Fire Marshal’s Office.
The fire was brought under control before 11 p.m., and more than 50 members of the fire department responded to the scene, according to authorities.
Matheson said the PFD wants to remind residents that they can request free smoke alarms through 311, and the fire department will install them for free.
