Woman killed in rowhome fire in Philly's Ogontz neighborhood, police say
Officials said a woman has died after she was taken from the scene of a rowhome fire in Philadelphia’s Ogontz neighborhood early Thursday.
According to police, a woman died on the first floor of the property after a fire began at about 4:41 a.m. in a rowhome located along the 6200 block of Ogontz Avenue in Philly’s Ogontz neighborhood on Thursday morning.
At the scene, at about 6:15 a.m., neighbors told NBC10’s Lili Zheng that fire crews had been working for about an hour at the property.
In discussing the incident at the scene, Assistant Fire Chief for the Philadelphia Fire Department Gerald Boyle said that first responders found the woman — believed to be about 60-years-old — unresponsive on the first floor of the property once they entered the rowhome.
He said that fire was “raging” in the home as first responders attempted life-saving efforts but the woman was pronounced at the scene at about 4:52 a.m.
While Boyle said it was early in the investigation on Thursday morning, fire crews did not immediately located smoke alarms in the building.
And the fire, he said, was placed under control at about 5:22 a.m.
Jerry Adams, a neighbor who lives along the block, said that he woke up to see the flames across the street from his home.
“I looked up and I saw smoke billowing from the second-floor, front and the next thing I know, firetrucks are coming from everywhere,” said Adams.
He said that he knew the woman who was killed in the fire and he described her as “just a really, nice person.”
Officials did not immediately provide further identifying information on the victim, nor did they detail what may have started this fire and they have not yet provided further details on the extent of the damages caused by the flames.
But, fire officials said the woman who died was the only person found in the property when fire crews arrived and an an investigation into this incident is ongoing.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.
