Nearly all of the 53 fatalities could have been averted, the commissioner said. He is launching a prevention program.
By BARBARA BOYER and DYLAN PURCELL
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania)
PHILADELPHIA — Alexander Screen died trying to save his North Philadelphia rowhouse, which had no working smoke alarms when it erupted in flames last month.
He was the last fire fatality, No. 53, recorded in 2005, when the number of people killed reached a high that the city had not seen since since 1997. That year, 62 people were killed.
Yesterday, Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers released a grim annual report that showed the number of fire fatalities has gone up steadily since 2002, which had 32 fatalities. Although last year’s total fell far short of the 90 fatalities recorded in 1995, nearly all the fatalities could have been prevented, Ayers said.
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