CENTER CITY, Pa. — A massive four-alarm apartment fire sent two firefighters to the hospital Tuesday afternoon.
6abc.com reported that the fire broke out around 5:30 p.m. and first units arrived to the scene in four minutes. They were met with heavy smoke in the basement. Once firefighters were able to get the basement fire under control, a second fire was discovered on the fourth floor.
The fire forced parts of the building to collapse, sending two firefighters to the hospital.
The biggest challenge on the fireground was the cold weather and wind.
“Because of the sub-cold temperatures, the water lines freeze,” Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer said. “Once you squirt water, you have ice on the ground, you have to make sure we put salt on the ground for the ice so our members don’t slip and fall, but then if you don’t keep the water flowing, your hose lines can freeze up also.”
It took crews over two hours to get the fire under control and the fire is under investigation.