Fatal fire in West Philadelphia

A disabled woman was killed last night as a blaze ripped through her West Philadelphia apartment.

The fire broke out shortly before 11 p.m. on the second floor of a rowhouse near 61st and Ludlow Streets.

Doris Davis, 79, was found by firefighters in her bedroom.

Attempts to rescue Davis and douse the flames were initially hindered by her furniture-choked apartment, said Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers. The dwelling was not equipped with functioning smoke detectors, Ayers said.

One firefighter was injured when he fell three stories from a window. He was treated for bruised ribs and a sprained ankle at Hahneman University Hospital, authorities said.

Davis was a chain-smoker and "a hoarder," neighbors said, who packed her small lodgings with bric-a-brac, books and furniture.

This morning, many of her belongings were piled on the sidewalk in front of the house in a charred heap.

Davis' older sister, Jean Pollard, lived in the downstairs apartment, neighbors said. Both sisters were disabled.

Neighbor Paul Davis, no relation, said Doris Davis had suffered several strokes in recent years and had a difficult time walking because of problems with her legs, hip and back.