Smoky fire leaves man dead, girlfriend critical

A 19-year-man died and his girlfriend was critically injured today after they apparently were trapped by a smoky fire in a basement bedroom, officials said.

Four other members of the man's family were treated at a nearby hospital for problems that included chest pains, smoke inhalation and emotional trauma.

The cause of the fire at the single family home at 918 Lakeview Ave. in Laurel Springs is under investigation, but officials said it apparently started in the basement laundry room.

Trapped in a basement bedroom were Thomas Doherty and his girlfriend, also 19, officials said.

Windows to the room, recently replaced with energy efficient vinyl, were ininitially hard to break and too small to escape through, officials and witnesses said.

The fire started about 6:10 a.m., when neighbors heard the smoke alarms go off in the Dougherty home.

They also saw Thomas' father Liam, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and is wheelchair bound, outside banging and yelling at a side basement window in a bid to either alert his son or help him out.

Firefighters soon arrived, but neighbors said it took them some time to find Thomas and his girlfriend, Veronica Conway, 19. She is still listed under critical condition at UPenn.

Firefighters rescued Conway first followed by Thomas, who had been trapped inside for about 30 minutes, said neighbor Lloyd Shaw.

Thomas Doherty's clothes were burned as he was put on a stretcher and his mother Jennifer screamed when she saw him, Shaw said.

His girlfriend was airlifted to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Thomas Doherty, his parents and younger brother and sister were taken to Kennedy Medical Center in Stratford.

Liam Doherty, who operates a construction business for which his eldest son worked, was put on a stretcher after complaining of chest pains at the fire scene.