PHILADELPHIA — One firefighter has died after being trapped in a building that caught fire in Philadelphia and then collapsed early Saturday, fire officials said.
While the name of the fallen firefighter could not be immediately provided, Craig Murphy (Deputy Fire Commissioner) stated that he was a 27 year veteran.
Murphy stated that the building caught on fire shortly before 2 AM Saturday. Murphy said that the fire was extinguished, and then the structure collapsed around 3:24 AM.
Four other firefighters and an inspector with the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections were also trapped at the time of the collapse. Murphy stated that one firefighter leapt from the second floor of the rubble.
Other people were taken out of the building at different times. The other two were also taken to the hospital. They are now said to be stable. Since then, the inspector was released.
Many firefighters were on the spot as rescue efforts unfolded. Multiple media outlets reported that some of them were seen wiping away tears or hugging others.
“You can’t predict this,” Murphy told reporters at a news conference. “This was just a catastrophic accident that (has) really hurt our department.”
Investigators are investigating the cause of the collapse. Murphy claimed that the building was affected by the fire. However, it is not clear why it collapsed.
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