Elderly Man, Elderly Woman Dead in Germantown House Fire: Officials

Two people are dead after a house fire in the Germantown section of the city.

It happened Wednesday morning around 3 a.m. on the 6300 block of North Beechwood Street. Fire officials told NBC10 at least two people were killed in the blaze. An elderly woman was found dead, upstairs in the home. An elderly man, identified by family members as 76-year-old Buford Davis Sr., was also found inside the house. He was taken to Einstein Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Officials believe the fire began in a bedroom on the second floor of the home.

"I heard a pop so I looked at the window and the whole upstairs was ablaze," said Joyce Brown, a neighbor of the victims. "Just smoke everywhere."

Investigators say they found buckets of water in the house and believe Davis tried to fight the fire on his own. They also say that while there were smoke detectors inside the home, only one was working while the others were disconnected.

"Going through the house, there were a lot of bad things," said Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers. "As soon as we walked in we saw electrical wires throughout, nails, extension chords all over the place. The same thing in the basement. It's not good."

"He'd go to Florida every year," said Charles Corbett, a friend of Davis, who was known as "brother" by neighbors. "He had some relatives there. He was supposed to go Tuesday."

Neighbors say the female victim in the fire does not have any family in the area. Neighbors tell NBC10 the victims were long-time friends who decided to live together.

Officials urge residents to check the batteries of their smoke detectors at least twice a year and replace them if they're 10 years or older.