DREXEL HILL, Pa. (WPVI) — The man who died in a Drexel Hill, Pa., apartment building blaze has been identified as a longtime firefighter.
The Lansdowne Fire Company identified the victim as Tony Rowley, who had also served as the department’s vice president and ambulance lieutenant.
Tony Rowley
Lansdowne Fire Company
Rowley had been recently dealing with medical issues, the fire company said, and was at his home when the fire erupted.
The fire erupted Saturday morning at the Llanerch Place Apartments on Township Line Road.
Viewer video shows Upper Darby Township firefighters making dramatic rescues as they tried to reach Rowley and his wife, who lived in the building.
Crews managed to reach them, but didn’t realize the man they were carrying down the stairs was one of their own.
“To know that he gave 30 years of his life here in the community, have a little downfall, and get trapped by the very thing you’ve been protecting for so many years is a hard pill to swallow,” said Michael Boyce, president of the Lansdowne Fire Company.
Rowley’s wife, Anne, and seven other people were injured, including an Upper Darby firefighter who suffered burns but has been released from the hospital.
“Lansdowne firefighters would like to express our deepest gratitude to the UDFD for their valiant efforts attempting to save Tony and his family,” the department said in a statement posted to social media. “Truly heroic.”
About 75 people are displaced due to the blaze.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Funeral arrangements for Rowley have not been released.
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