Area firefighters battle heat and humidity along with flames

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- It was a stifling night of heat and humidity for firefighters answering calls Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

A house fire on South Broad Street in South Philadelphia was discovered at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

But after seven days of a heat wave, it was not the cool of the evening that greeted more than 70 firefighters, who had to call a second alarm to get the blaze under control.

90 minutes later and 12 miles away in Moorestown, N.J. firefighters were battling a town house fire.

Again, the weather conditions were a factor.

Extra crews known as cover companies were brought in so fire fighters could be rotated more often than usual from fighting the fire to recovery.

For more from Action News reporter John Rawlins, click or tap the image above.