What to Know
- A fire damaged a building housing a laundromat and a pharmacy in Philadelphia's Juniata Park neighborhood Tuesday afternoon.
- Firefighters were able to bring the flames under control. No one was injured.
- The owner of the pharmacy told NBC10 he plans to rebuild it.
Firefighters battled a fire at a building in Philadelphia’s Juniata Park neighborhood.
The 2-alarm fire started at a building housing the Pharmacy of America and Refresh Laundry on Castor and Erie avenues Tuesday afternoon, sending plumes of black smoke into the air.
Ten workers and customers, including young children, fled the laundromat as the fire started, leaving behind their clothes.
"It's a scary moment but I was just thinking about getting the people out," Maria Gomez, a worker at the laundromat, told NBC10. "Of course they were concerned but I was like, 'Don't worry about your clothes. That's materialistic. You have to worry about your life.'"
Seven workers and customers also fled the pharmacy as the fire spread.
"When I got out I told my staff in the back, 'Get out,'" Jonathan Dominguez, a pharmacy worker, said.
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The fire was placed under control at 4:52 p.m. No one was injured during the blaze though the building was badly damaged. The pharmacy caved in during the fire.
"It's like a baby. It's gone," Norma Velez, the pharmacy's manager, said. "I know everyone is okay and we're going to move on from this but it's hard."
Sabri Ibrahim, the owner of the pharmacy, plans to rebuild it.
"To me as an owner, what matters to me is that my staff are safe," he said. "That's what matters to me the most."
Officials have not yet revealed the cause.
