PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — A woman was killed early Thursday when a fire broke out in her Ogontz rowhome, officials said.
The blaze started around 4:40 a.m. on the 6200 block of Ogontz Avenue, according to the Philadelphia Fire Department. The woman, who was about 60 years old, was the only person inside the home at the time.
“When they went in with hose lines to extinguish it and separate her from the fire, the fire was raging on the first floor,” Assistant Fire Chief Gerald Boyle said. The woman was found on the first floor and pronounced dead at the scene.
Firefighters faced dangerous conditions as parts of the building began to fail structurally.
“We have some parts of the building that structurally failed, which limits our ability to get into the building and fully survey it, so we’ve wet down the hotspots from the exterior at this point,” Boyle said.
The neighboring home also sustained heavy damage. Jerry Rice, who owns the property next door, showed Action News the torn-down ceilings and holes in the wall from the firefight.
Rice described his neighbor as someone who cared for her property and looked out for others.
“She took care of her property and she watched out. She was a real nice person,” he said.
Another neighbor, Jerry Adams, knew the outcome would be grim once crews entered the burning house.
“Once they made entry and I saw those flames, I knew it wasn’t going to be a good outcome,” Adams said.
Natalie Henderson, another neighbor, said the woman had lived on the block for decades.
“We just saw her a few days ago and she was lively and in good spirits. She was just a wonderful person,” Henderson said.
The home is now boarded up, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Officials said they do not yet know if there were working smoke detectors inside.
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