Brothers among 3 dead after fire tears through home in Kensington section of Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Three people are dead after an early-morning house fire in the Kensington section of Philadelphia.
The deadly fire broke out around 4:40 a.m. Monday on the 2900 block of Rorer Street.
Fire crews said heavy flames were shooting from the first floor and the rear of the home when they arrived.
Officials said a man was rescued from the first floor of the home and taken to Temple University Hospital where he later died.
Family friends identified him as Francis "Jocco" Hudson.
Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel described the blaze as a "very heavy fire with difficult conditions."
"Because of the fire conditions we had to exit the building and perform an exterior attack," Thiel said.
The fire was placed under control at 5:14 a.m. A second medic was later called to the scene.
Close friends of the man who died in the fire said the man lived in the house with his brother and his brother's girlfriend.
Their bodies were found later in the day.
They were identified by the family's pastor as Jason Hudson and his girlfriend Becky Emeric. Jason and Francis were brothers.
Members of the victims' church, Rock Ministries of Philadelphia, stood vigil outside. Assistant Pastor Craig Cerrito said the three were devoted to their faith and to helping others.
"Jocco, Jason and Becky - all three of them were neighborhood folks, they grew up here. They had it tough and they would teach you more about yourself than you could ever do for them," Cerrito said.
The scene is now turned over to The Fire Marshal's Office.
The cause is still under investigation and investigators don't know yet if there were working smoke detectors.
