A man has become Philadelphia's 23rd fire victim of the year after he was found dead inside a boarding home in North Philadelphia on Friday.
The unidentified man was killed in the blaze that started inside the two-story boarding house along the 2300 block of Firth Street around 6:20 p.m., fire officials said.
Fire Captain Clifford Gilliam said it took firefighters 15 minutes to get control of the fire. The victim was found inside a middle bedroom on the second floor, he said.
Five other residents, who were inside when the fire began, were able to make it out safely.
Gilliam said there were no working smoke detectors in the house.
"During a search of the property we did not find any working smoke alarms," he said. "There was one smoke alarm in the basement; once we opened it up it had a battery inverted."
The Department of Licenses & Inspections was called out to inspect the property.
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Gilliam says the man's death brings the total number of fire deaths in the city this year to 23. This time last year 24 people had lost their lives in fires.
The captain said with the changing temperatures, it's important to ensure that residents have working smoke detectors installed in their homes. He also suggests having heaters serviced.
The Philadelphia Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
This blaze was one of three that broke out on Friday night.
A fire at an apartment building in Hunting Park forced firefighters to cut off part of the roof to attack the flames. Two people were displaced in that fire.
An apartment caught fire along the 4200 block of Chester Ave. in University City around 7:30 p.m. One person was treated at the scene by paramedics.
