PHILADELPHIA – A building caught fire and then collapsed in Philadelphia, killing a firefighter and injuring six others, two critically, after everything was trapped early Saturday, authorities said.
The fire was reported shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday in the building in North Philadelphia, eight occupants were evacuated safely and the fire had been declared under control, officials said. At 3:24 a.m., the building collapsed, Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said.
Lieutenant Sean Williamson, 51, was pronounced dead at the scene after he and another firefighter were released from the rubble hours after the collapse. Three more firefighters and an inspector from the city’s Licensing and Inspection Department had been quickly released. A firefighter jumped from the second floor to avoid being caught in the collapse, Murphy said. Two firefighters were in critical but stable condition at Temple University Hospital, while the other three victims were treated and released, officials said.
Fire commissioner Adam Thiel said in a statement Saturday afternoon that the department is in mourning with “family, friends and the community.” He added: “It is not possible to put into words what we are feeling right now.” Murphy had told reporters in a briefing around 8 a.m. Saturday that “It’s going to be a tough week.”
Mayor Jim Kenney said it was “a heartbreaking day for our city.”
“For more than 27 years, he dedicated his life to serving and protecting the people of Philadelphia, and sacrificed his life to protect others,” Kenney said in a statement. “This morning, as every day, he exemplified heroism by doing what our first responders did. Doing every day: putting on your uniform, leaving your loved ones and fulfilling your sworn duty to protect and serve the residents of this city “.
The fire department is investigating the cause of the fire with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Investigators were investigating what caused the collapse. Murphy said the building had been affected by the fire, but it was unclear what caused it to fall.
Numerous firefighters were nearby as the rescue effort unfolded, and some were seen hugging or wiping tears from their eyes, various media reported.
Patricia Sermarini told The Philadelphia Inquirer that she rushed to the scene when she saw the sinking alert because her son-in-law, a firefighter, was on his morning shift. He said he had been one of the local firefighters, but that he had left the building just before it collapsed.
But moments later, Sermarini said, he saw firefighters pulling a body out of the rubble.
“It’s so terrible,” he said. “This is very difficult for them. They just want to go home with their families.”