More than 19 people were taken to the hospital and two fire fighters slighty injured after a weekend fire engulfed an apartment building in Northeast Philadelphia.
According to fire officials, the fire started at 4:38 a.m. Sunday in a third floor unit at the Austin Manor Apartments at 7024 Rising Sun Ave.
Although firefighters responded to the scene within minutes, some residents were forced to jump from windows to save themselves before the building was destroyed by flames. Residents were also force to throw their pets out of the windows.
"That's how black the hallways were when we opened the door, all this black smoke started rushing in so we were forced to jump out of the second floor window," said one neighbor.
More than a dozen people were rushed to nearby hospitals; four are at Temple Hospital in stable condition and seven at Einstein, with three of those people listed in critical condition. Injuries ranged from smoke inhalation to serious burns and trauma from jumping from the building.
Two firefighters were also sent to the hospital for injuries sustained during the fire.
The American Red Cross, which set up a temporary shelter at Northeast High School, has helped about 35 residents from the building so far. Others decided to stay with friends or family, according to officials.
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The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but it's believed to have been accidental.
The apartment complex was also the scene of a five-alarm fire that started because of a lit candle in Oct. 2001. At least 100 people lost their homes at the time.
