Man killed in fire after severe storms hit Nether Providence Twp., Delaware County

Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Man killed in fire after severe storms hit Delaware County
One man was killed in a fire that erupted after severe storms struck Delaware County on Wednesday afternoon.

NETHER PROVIDENCE TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- One man was killed in a fire that erupted after severe storms struck Delaware County on Wednesday afternoon.

The storms brought down trees and power lines all across the area, and then a fire started raging in the 600 block of Morris Lane in Nether Providence Township.

"Basically the sky was black, the power went off, then the power came on, and you heard that surge that kind of transmitter type sound, and then literally within 20-30 seconds the fire was here," said Debbie Decolli.

Two men lived in the home, and neighbors say they were brothers. While one died, the other managed to escape.

"I was basically in shock because it's not every day you see a house on fire, and then I heard someone may have still been inside so I was also concerned about that," said Jamal Huff.

The call came in at 12:39 p.m. South Media and Garden City fire companies responded, along with five assisting fire companies in the area

"When we arrived it was fire showing," said Nether Providence Police Chief David Splain. "One individual was already extricated from the building, the second individual trapped inside the building."

The man who survived is at a local hospital. The other was pronounced dead at the scene.

Fire officials are investigating, but say preliminary reports indicate the cause of the fire could possibly be a downed power line.

Chopper 6 and the Action Cam captured damage caused by Wednesday's storm across the Philadelphia area.