Two women had to jump for safety after their row home went up in flames overnight.
The flames broke out a little around 2:45 a.m. on the third floor of a house along Frankford Avenue near E Cambria Street in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood.
“Flames all over the place, smoke, it was a fire,” said fire victim Richard Bryson who was able to get out of the fire unscathed but not before trying to do what he could. "I grabbed my fire extinguisher but it was just too late."
Two women were trapped by the flames on the third floor. They tried to use a ladder to climb down but the ladder broke forcing them to jump onto the pavement below instead.
The unidentified 26- and 29-year-olds suffered injuries from the fall and were rushed to Temple University Hospital.
Firefighters then rescued a third person, an unidentified elderly man, from inside the house. The man suffered second-degree burns to face and hands and was also rushed to Temple Hospital.
Philadelphia Fire Department Capt. LeRoy Ruffin said it could have been worse.
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“It would have been a definitely different story, we would have had fatalities probably.”
Firefighters contained the fire to the third floor and got it under control by 3:25 a.m.
Despite knowing that the fire began on the upper floor, firefighters said the investigation into the cause of the blaze was ongoing. Investigators also wanted to know if there were working smoke alarms in the home.
The American Red Cross helped three people and some pets displaced by the blaze.
