As students return to school and the heat ramps up, residents of a Philadelphia condo building will be looking for other accommodations after being blocked from returning to their homes following a fire.
Residents were notified via email Monday that they will be unable to sleep in their homes for at least five days after an electrical fire knocked out the power at the River Park House condominiums in the Wynnefield Heights neighborhood.
“Without power and water, residents are not permitted to reside in their units,” read the email obtained by NBC10.
On Tuesday, management told residents that they would be allowed to return to their units, but only between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
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The American Red Cross and Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management opened a shelter for displaced residents at Universal Daroff Charter School at 56th and Vine streets in West Philadelphia, a Red Cross spokesperson said.
American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Region said they assisted 13 families Sunday night.
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Residents were told to file a claim with their insurance company if they are staying in a hotel or to contact the Red Cross for help at 1-800-733-2767.
The blaze erupted in the basement of the 22-floor high-rise around 9:15 p.m. Sunday, a Philadelphia Fire Department spokeswoman said. Three people were treated and transported to a hospital by paramedics, the spokeswoman said.
The building's management said Tuesday that the fire may have been sparked by old transformers, a problem exacerbated by "this season's extreme heat."
The fire and subsequent displacement of residents comes just as students at the School District of Philadelphia begin the new school year.
The high-rise’s management asked residents for patience.
