At least 13 people died on Wednesday in the fire of a housing in Philadelphia, seven of them minor, announced a person responsible for the city’s firefighters and US media.
“I have no words to describe what we feel,” said Firefighter official, who confirmed that at least “eight people” managed to escape from the flames.
The city’s fire service reported that its staff reached the property of official protection towards 06h40 AM (11h40 GMT) “and found a strong fire on the second floor of a three-story building.”
In total, 26 people lived in the building, according to local authorities.
“It took 50 minutes to control the fire,” he reported the fire service on a tweet.
The building is located in densely populated area near a university, the Museum of Art and other institutions of the city.
The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper ensures that the building belongs to the housing service of the city.
What was a single-family house has initially been converted into two apartments, ensures the newspaper that cites the police.
The neighbors assured the local media that are impacted by the fire.
At the moment, the causes of the event are unknown.
According to the local press, at least four fire detectors were out of service.
