By Phillip Lucas
The Philadelphia Daily News
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — A fire in a Northern Liberties townhome left one man dead, and three firefighters hospitalized late Tuesday night.
Firefighters, medics and police responded to the blaze on 5th Street near Poplar about 11:30 p.m., with reports that someone was trapped inside the building.
The blaze inside an end-unit, two-story brick rowhome was brought under control by 1:16 a.m., Battalion Chief Derrick Sawyer said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The identity of the victim was not disclosed.
The firefighters all received burns. Two were taken to Temple University Hospital, and one to Hahnemann. All were reported in serious but stable condition, but the extent of their injuries was not disclosed.
An inspection of the charred home revealed that there may not have been any working fire detectors inside, Sawyer said.
The fire may have displaced up to 11 people, officials said.
Many residents of the four townhomes near the site of the fire stood along North 5th Street huddled in white Salvation Army blankets into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Sawyer said two additional two people took themselves to Hahnemann University Hospital.
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