Mother of 2 killed in Olney house fire

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Officials said a mother of two young boys died in a house fire in Philadelphia's Olney section Saturday morning.

The blaze broke out around 7:00 a.m. on the 5700 block of North 6th Street.

Firefighters had to go up onto the roof as thick, black smoke was pouring out of the house during the fire.

Two women were trapped there after climbing out to escape, according to officials. Crews were able to rescue them.

Officials said another young woman was stuck inside and never made it out.

David Molock, the victim's step-father, said: "I'm not feeling to well right now, but I've got to be strong for my other two kids."

Molock said the two women who escaped the smoke and flames are his daughters.

"One of my daughters, I understand she woke up, couldn't breathe, and she had to feel her way to get out of the house," he said.

Molock says the victim is 25-year-old Amanda Burton. She leaves behind two young boys.

He says Burton's sisters tried to look for her but the smoke was overbearing.

"The other daughter was trapped in another room and she had to come out of another window but they couldn't find their sister," said Molock.

The smoke also spread into neighboring homes.

Henry Hopkins lives next door. He said he and his wife barely made it out.

"By the grace of God we woke up," said Hopkins. "There was nobody that woke us up. Me and her were sound asleep."

"It's a young mother with two young sons coming up on Mother's Day tomorrow and she's gone," he said.

The family says it was just Burton and her two sisters inside and her children were not home at the time.

There is no word on what caused the fire.