2 dead, firefighter injured in Bustleton house fire
BUSTLETON (WPVI) -- A raging inferno left two people dead and a firefighter injured in Philadelphia's Bustleton neighborhood.
The fire started around midnight Wednesday on the 9800 block of Bridle Road.
Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames and smoke showing on the first and second floors of a single family home.
Officials say the crews had an aggressive interior battle as the blaze quickly spread.
40 personnel and 11 fire engines were on the scene.
Windows were knocked out and holes were left in the roof where the flames tore through.
It took about 35 minutes to get the flames under control.
A man and a woman, believed to be in their 50's, were found on the first floor. They were brought from the home and given CPR, but neither victim survived.
Neighbor Ed Stegena said he had know the the couple for years, and that they had just yesterday returned home.
"They just took daughter to New York to go to college up there and I was talking to them as soon as they came back, and they were saying the trip was a great trip, no accidents or nothing. And now this," he said.
Veronia Valentino, a neighbor said, "My other neighbors thought it was my house because the flames were so high in the sky. And they just ran around the corner, and heard a lot of screaming and everything. And just trying to get them, but unsuccessful."
A firefighter was injured and taken to an area hospital for evaluation.
The flames were so intense they burned a gas meter off the wall, causing a minor gas leak.
Crews were able to contain the leak.
Fire officials say the crews did not hear smoke alarms when they arrived.
Whether there were any working smoke detectors will be part of the investigation as officials work to determine what caused the fire.
Late into this afternoon investigators from the fire marshal's office remained on the scene. Their focus appeared to be the rear of the house.
The names of the victims have not been released.
