Nine firefighters were injured in a Wynnefield house fire
At least six residents are now displaced from their homes.
Nine firefighters were injured, including one who needed to be carried away on a stretcher, after the floor collapsed beneath them while fighting a two-alarm fire in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia Monday night.
Firefighters responded to the blaze on the 5300 block of Hazelhurst Street around 10:20 p.m. to find smoke and flames erupting from the roof of the home. Officials confirmed that six firefighters were treated at local hospitals and released while three remain hospitalized as of Tuesday morning. All were in stable condition.
“We’re immeasurably grateful for this outcome, as collapses often prove devastating,” a Philadelphia Fire Department spokesperson said.
First responders arrived to heavy fire coming from the first floor of the two-story home, officials said. The situation soon grew, bringing more than 100 firefighters, EMS, and support staff to the scene.
The fire spread to the adjoining properties and was placed under control just moments before the structure collapsed on firefighters. At least six residents were displaced from their homes, officials said.
Crews were still on site Tuesday morning working to clear debris and rubble, officials said. The Fire Marshall’s Office will conduct an investigation.
Footage of one of the firefighters being carried out of the building on a stretcher, and another being assisted down the front steps.
Two families, a total of nine residents, were receiving support services from the American Red Cross.
Before the Wynnefield fire erupted, earlier in the evening in Bristol Borough, a three-alarm fire activated multiple firefighting companies from across the region, where one person was killed and another injured in a fire that engulfed several homes. Another man died in a North Philadelphia house fire last month, which followed a January house fire that took the life of a 60-year-old woman.
The Fire Department and Red Cross urge Philadelphia and collar county residents to visit soundthealarm.org/philly, where they can sign up for free smoke alarm installations and learn more about preventing fires.