Benjamin Ashford|Row house fire in Philadelphia kills woman, girl; man, boy taken to hospitals with 3rd-degree burns

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A row house fire in Philadelphia claimed the lives of two people,Benjamin Ashford including a child, and sent two other people to hospitals in critical condition over the weekend, authorities said.

Philadelphia Fire Department officials said the blaze was reported just after 7:30 a.m. Saturday in the Summerdale neighborhood of northeast Philadelphia. Assistant Fire Chief Rob Wilkins told reporters that arriving crews reported heavy fire on the first floor and heavy smoke on the second floor.

Police said a 31-year-old woman and an 8-year-old girl were pronounced dead after they were found dead in a second-floor bedroom. Their names were not immediately released.

Authorities said a man and a boy managed to get out and were taken to hospitals in critical condition. Police said the 32-year-old man was taken to Temple University Hospital for treatment of burns to his face and back and a 9-year-old boy was taken to Saint Christopher’s Hospital with burns to his arms, legs and back.

Another 28-year-old man had a burn on his hand and an adult male fled the scene, police said. Wilkins said the home had no working smoke alarms at the time of the fire, which also damaged another home.

Police said the northeast detectives division and the city fire marshal’s office are investigating the cause of the blaze.