Woman Dead, Man in Critical Condition After Philadelphia House Fire

An elderly woman died and a man was listed in critical condition at an area hospital after a fire broke out at a Philadelphia home Saturday morning.

Firefighters responded to the blaze on the 2400 block of 77th Avenue in the East Mount Airy neighborhood around 5:45 a.m. and were met with “a heavy volume of fire” inside the house, Philadelphia Fire Department Commissioner Adam Thiel said.

Firefighters put out the flames around 6:12 a.m. and found the two incapacitated victims, a 76-year-old woman and 61-year-old man, inside, Thiel said. They were taken to separate hospitals, where the woman declared dead and the man was listed in critical condition.

“We’re very hopeful for the one person who remains in hospital. Tragically, though, it does appear that this is going to be our third fire death this week,” Thiel said. “It’s been a very difficult week for the fire department.”

The commissioner beseeched residents to have working smoke alarms in each floor of their home, make sure to fix electrical problems and remain careful when cooking and heating their residence.