Camden residents were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night when a second vacant warehouse was destroyed by fire this week.
Saturday morning's fire started around 2:30 a.m. at a clothing and canvas factory on 4th and Winslow Street. Within minutes the fire quickly escalated to eight alarms.
“I was out here last night when it first started it looked like someone just lit up,” Luis Megron said.
The fire comes on the heels of Thursday’s 12-alarm inferno that destroyed the building that once housed reliable tires on Chestnut and Orchard streets. The blaze destroyed a dozen homes and displaced several Camden residents. Multiple firefighters were hospitalized.
Authorities said the 3-story building where Saturday’s fire happened was vacant, and no injuries have been reported.
“You would think it’s like a serial pyromania out here running around, Fred Quiles said.
Both state and local Fire Marshals including the ATF have not yet ruled on a cause for either of the two largest fires that Camden has seen in 10 years.
“It’s pretty unusual to have two of these large fires in as many days” Camden Fire Chief Michael Harper said.
Harper says vandalized hydrants and water pressure did not hamper this morning’s firefight but Ken Chambers, a firefighter and Union President, said lack of manpower due to recent layoffs was once again at risk.
“Basically Mayor Dana Redd is playing Russian Roulette with the residents, because we are not providing adequate fire service at this point for the city’s residents.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Fan, follow and download: Get the latest from NBCPhiladelphia.com anytime, anywhere. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and NBC Philadelphia. Sign up for our breaking news newsletter. And, get breaking news delivered right to your mobile phone -- just text PHIBREAKING to 639710 to sign up. (Message and data rates may apply.)
