9 firefighters hurt as rowhome collapses during fire in Wynnefield

Officials say nine firefighters were hurt overnight when a rowhome collapsed as crews worked to extinguish flames that tore through a row of homes in the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia.

Security camera footage obtained by NBC10 shows flames erupted at a rowhome along the 5300 block of Hazelhurst Street in West Philly’s Wynnefield community at about 10 p.m. on Monday night.

That fire spread to neighboring homes and kept crews working to extinguish the fire busy overnight.

As crews were working to put out the fire, nine firefighters were hurt when a building “collapsed in a lean-to fashion from the second floor to the first shortly after the main body of fire was knocked down,” officials revealed in a statement Tuesday morning.

Several of the firefighters, officials said, alerted mayday situations as they were pinned by debris following the collapse.

All of those who were trapped were removed and transported to area hospitals, officials said. All of the firefighters are in stable condition.

As crews worked to extinguish the flames, NBC10’s cameras captured two firefighters being removed from the scene and taken to the hospital after suffering injuries during the evening.

Executive Chief of the Philadelphia Fire Department Daniel McCarty called the collapse a “near miss event,” saying that given the conditions at the scene, “the outcome could have been far more tragic.”

But, the quick actions of fire and EMS personnel at the scene, he said, were “extraordinary.”

“Their professionalism and commitment to one another prevented what could have been an unimaginable loss,” McCarty said.

Officials said five of the injured firefighters had been treated and released while the remaining four firefighters remained hospitalized in stable condition.

The flames were placed under control at about 12:18 a.m. on Tuesday, officials said.

As of about 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, crews remained at the site of the fire that damaged at least three rowhomes and left nine people displaced.

Fire officials did not immediately say what may have caused the fire, but an investigation into the cause of the incident is ongoing.

NBC10 is working to learn more.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.

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