Baby, parents die in blaze

A young, engaged couple and their 6-month-old baby girl died in a small fire early yesterday in the Brewerytown section.

Nyasha Vicks, 25, Curtis Singleton, 26, and their daughter, Pahje, were discovered shortly after 3 a.m. yesterday inside their home at 2706 W. Seltzer St. Firefighters initially found smoke and discovered the family during an interior search.

The family was taken to Temple Hospital, where they were first in critical condition before they died a short time later. The cause of the fire is still unknown. There were no working smoke detectors at the residence.

The blaze is the second fire in five days to take the lives of at least two people. Last Wednesday, two children died in a North Philadelphia blaze. Several other family members were injured.

“We are devastated,” said Vicks’ mother, Renee, “We have three funerals to plan, and we’re all walking around in a daze.”

Friends and family members gathered yesterday afternoon to remember the three, tying pink and blue balloons to the railing of the victims’ home and placing votive candles on the porch. A neighbor recalled playing with the couples’ daughter at a recent block party: “They were a nice family — it’s a tragedy.”

“It’s so hard to say goodbye,” said Vicks’ best friend April, “[Nyasha] was well-loved.”

“I just want people to know how good of a person she was,” echoed Vicks’ sister, Candace.