Elderly man dead after North Philadelphia house fire, officials say
An elderly man is dead after a fire ripped through a home in North Philadelphia late Saturday evening.
According to Philadelphia fire officials, crews were dispatched to the 1600 block of Fontain Street just before 10:45 p.m. and were met with heavy flames on the second floor of the building.
Upon entry, fire officials said they found a man dead inside the home. Crews had to pull back due to the building's structural integrity coming into question and ordered an emergency evacuation.
Philadelphia Assistant Fire Chief Charles Walker said because of this, they called the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections to inspect the property.
Fire officials said the blaze was later placed under control just after 11 p.m.
No other injuries were reported and there was no damage to the surrounding houses, Walker said.
Walker told CBS News Philadelphia that there were no active smoke alarms in the home. He reminds the community that as we turn the clocks back an hour, it is also a good time to check your smoke detectors.
