Seven, including 4 children, hurt in N. Phila. fire

A fire in a rowhouse without a smoke detector spread to four neighboring dwellings in North Philadelphia early and injured seven people, including four children, officials said. One child was reported in critical condition.

Deputy Chief Michael Wahl said that when the first unit arrived at 3:46 a.m., firefighters found heavy fire on the ground floor of a 2-story rowhouse at 219 W. Albanus St. in the Olney section.

"They made an aggressive interior attack," he said.

The blaze spread along the porches to three houses on the west side of the home at 219 and one to the west, Wahl said.

He said four children were taken to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, including a 6-year-old boy who suffered critical burns.

Three adults, including a woman who jumped to escape the flames from one of the neighboring homes, were in on stable condition at Albert Einstein Medical Center, officials said.

Firefighters did not find a smoke detector inside 219, Wahl said. It took firefighters a half-hour to bring the blaze under control.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Wahl said anyone in need of smoke detectors should call the hotline at 215-686-1176 and firefighters will install the alarms.

"A smoke alarm is your best chance of surviving a fire like this," he said.