Crews Battle 4-Alarm Warehouse Fire In Frankford
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It took more than 120 Philadelphia firefighters to battle a large blaze Saturday at a warehouse in the Frankford section of the city
Flames broke out around 4:30 a.m. inside a two-story building in the 4200 block Tackawanna Street.
The fire quickly grew to four alarms.
"I just jumped up and it was like five feet of fire shooting up on the roof," said neighbor Margie Johnson, who woke up to the smell of smoke and the sound of sirens. "We came out and started knocking on doors. I realized it was basically the warehouse."
Johnson says the two-story commercial building is a warehouse containing auto parts.
"I seen cars in there, tires, equipment. There's a lot," said Johnson. "It's a shame somebody had to lose their business."
It took firefighters more than two-and-a-half hours to place the blaze under control. Some fire hydrants along the block were reportedly not working when crews first arrived.
"It is a standalone commercial building with a significant amount of tires and other flammable items inside," said Deputy Fire Commissioner Jesse Wilson. "We had some trouble early on with fire flow, meaning adding water onto the fire, but once we made adjustments to the water flow we were able to get a good amount of the water on the fire."
Several families around the corner on Auth Street had to be evacuated, although no one was injured.
The American Red Cross was on-site offering assistance.
"I'm exhausted. I've been out here since 4 this morning," said neighbor John Malinowski.
There was no immediate word on what sparked the flames.