The fallen firefighter was not immediately identified, but Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said he has 27 years of departmental experience. “It will be tough for a few weeks,” Murphy said at a news conference at 8 p.m.
The fire broke out at about 2 a.m. in a three-story restaurant and apartment building located in the 300 block of West Indiana Avenue in the Fairhill section of the city. The fire was extinguished, but then at 3:24 a.m. the building collapsed
Four other firefighters and an inspector from the city’s licenses and inspection department were also trapped during the crash. A firefighter jumped from the second story of the wreckage, Murphy said.
Others were evicted at various times.
Two firefighters and an L&I employee have been released from Temple University Hospital. A firefighter is in hospital in critical but stable condition.
The firefighter died at the scene.
Tragedy. A 27-year-old Philadelphia firefighter was killed in a landslide in Fairhill and Indiana on the 3rd. Another 4 firefighters and an L&I inspector were rescued 6abc pic.twitter.com/a15CrLjG1b
– Becca Hendrickson (Beccah6abc) June 18, 2022
“You can’t predict this,” Murphy told reporters at a news conference. “It was a catastrophic accident that hit our industry hard.”
Investigators were investigating what caused the wreckage. Murphy said the building was damaged by the fire, but the cause of the crash is unknown.
Mayor Jim Kenny said in a Twitter post, “I apologize to members of the Philadelphia Fire Department and to all of Philadelphia in Philadelphia who lost one of us in the line of duty today.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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