Fire injures 2, damages 5 homes in Hunting Park

HUNTING PARK (WPVI) -- Fire ripped through five homes in Philadelphia, injuring two people and sending more than a dozen men, women, and children into the night air.

It broke out just before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Sinclair Page and Leroy Irvin were in their second floor apartments in the 3800 block of North Park Avenue. Page smelled smoke and alerted the other residents.

"He said, 'The house is on fire!' I ran downstairs, and the whole front porch was orange," said Irvin. "I tried to open the door, and everything was orange. So I busted out windows, and I jumped out of a window."

Irvin says someone helped catch him when he jumped from a second floor window.

Firefighters helped Page. "They brought down on a ladder," he said.

Both men were taken to an area hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. They spoke with Action News when they returned to see what was left of their home.

60 firefighters with 17 pieces of equipment help bring the blaze under control in less than an hour.

"Because of the porch construction, the fire extended to the right of the original fire dwelling, involving four other homes on the exterior as well as the

interior," said Deputy Fire Commissioner Richard Davison.

Neighbors describe a wall of fire spreading across the front porches that made it difficult to evacuate. One passerby helped get a baby to safety.

The Red Cross says a total of 18 people were affected by the blaze, including 6 children. Assistance was being provided to 13 people.

Some of the homes were completely gutted.

It appears the fire may have started on the porch, but the cause remains under investigation.