By Allison Steele and Robert Moran
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILDADELPHIA A fire in an Oxford Circle apartment building Tuesday morning killed two residents and injured a building maintenance worker who tried to rescue them.
Officials have not released the names of the victims, but a source familiar with the investigation identified them as Lynn Scripnicencu, 56, and Gerald Hooper, 76. Mail at the apartment named him as Gerald Cooper.
Both used wheelchairs, walkers, and canes to get around, officials said.
The maintenance worker, whose name was not released but was known as Carlos to residents, ran to the door and tried to help the victims escape, but he could not get through the smoke, officials said.
The cause of the fire, which appeared to have started in the bedroom and was brought under control in less than a half-hour, is still under investigation.
A Fire Department spokesman said he could not comment on reports by firefighters that there were oxygen tanks inside the apartment, or on reports that smoking may have played a role in starting the blaze.
About two dozen residents in the surrounding apartments of the four-story building were briefly evacuated. Several tenants who lived elsewhere in the complex said they were not aware there had been a fire until after it had been extinguished. A resident who lived across the hall and a family next door said they did not know the couple, had not spoken to them, and they did not seem to leave their apartment. They said caregivers would stop by.
The blaze was reported at 9 a.m. at the Oxford House apartment complex on the 6400 block of Oxford Avenue. When firefighters arrived four minutes later, fire officials said, they found heavy smoke coming from a second-floor apartment.
Firefighters found the man dead inside the apartment, officials said. The woman had apparently tried to get out and was found near the door. She was taken to Jeannes Hospital, where she later died.
The maintenance worker was taken to Jeannes in critical condition, suffering from smoke inhalation and minor burns. He was expected to recover.
The fire, which was confined to the apartment, was declared under control at 9:27 a.m. Several nearby apartments sustained smoke and water damage.
Staff writer Joseph A. Gambardello contributed to this article.
Copyright 2011 Philadelphia Newspapers, LLC
All Rights Reserved