Family Seeking Answers After Bodies Recovered Days After Deadly North Philly Fire
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Family and friends are questioning what exactly happened after the bodies of three of their loved ones were found inside a burned-out home in North Philadelphia three days after the fire.
A 4-year-old boy, his mother and his step-grandfather were killed in last week's fire.
The Philadelphia Fire Department is investigating the numerous calls the family said they made about their loved ones.
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On top of grief for this family, there are questions whether the three could have been saved.
A memorial lingers outside the North 21st Street building days after the deadly fire.
Horace Mcouellem, 64, his 25-year-old stepdaughter Alita Johnson, and her 4-year-old son Haashim Johnson lived in the building. They were inside when the fire happened Wednesday morning, but their bodies weren't discovered by officials until Friday night.
Family members say after nonstop calls to the Philadelphia Fire Department, their three loved ones were found in that second search, hugging each other in a bathtub.
Now this family is wondering if the delay in a thorough search caused their death.
Fire officials tell CBS3 they did not believe anyone was still in the building on Wednesday, but the family points to a cellphone video of people at the scene warning officials that more people were inside.
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The family is trying to plan a funeral for their loves ones, but are wondering how they are going to help pay for the funerals.
A GoFundMe was set up to help the family.
Fire officials say they are concerned with the incident. There is an investigation into the calls the family made as well as why it took three days to find the bodies.
Authorities acknowledge these are important questions to answer, but they do not have all of those answers right now.