Man dies during fire in North Philly rowhouse with illegal electric, officials say
Crews had a difficult time making their way inside due to objects outside the property, such as wood pallets and empty barrels.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia fire officials said a man died during a fire in a rowhouse that had an illegal electrical hookup.
The fire happened around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday along the 2600 block of N. 16 Street, which is near the intersection of W. Lehigh Avenue and N. Broad Street in North Philadelphia.
Assistant Fire Chief Charles Walker said crews initially had a difficult time making their way inside due to objects outside the property, such as wood pallets and empty barrels.
"There was a lot of furniture and various other contents up along the property on the outside. You see pallets and various other things that were collected on the outside of the property. Gives you an idea of what type of things we encountered on the inside as well," Walker said.
Firefighters arrived within a couple of minutes, ran into problems getting inside, and then found a man dead on the second floor, according to Walker.
Officials are working to identify the victim.
Walker said even though there were objects inside, the property appears to be mostly vacant.
He also said it has an illegal electrical hookup and that there is no electric meter attached to the house.
Firefighters did not find any smoke alarms.
As the weather changes, officials said this is something families should keep in mind.
"It's very important for people to have smoke alarms in their properties, have an escape plan and all those different things to help you help yourself get out of the fire," Walker said.
The fire marshal is now working to determine the cause of the fire.
