2 bodies recovered from Philadelphia's East Germantown twin home that was destroyed in fire
Two bodies have been recovered, and a firefighter was injured as crews battled a fire that destroyed a twin home in East Germantown on Thursday, according to the Philadelphia Fire Department.
The firefighter was placed in stable condition at the hospital, a spokesperson for the Philly Fire Department said.
Chopper 3 was over the fire at the intersection of Brinton and Musgrave streets as smoke billowed into the sky. The blaze started just after 5 p.m. and was placed under control hours later at 8:12 p.m.
The Philadelphia Fire Department had all hands on deck to battle the blaze, including at least 110 firefighters.
Crews said when they arrived, there was heavy fire on the first floor. The fire then spread to every floor of the twin home, and the structure became unsafe. Because of the heavy fire, firefighters fought the flames from the outside, dumping water to tackle the hotspots.
The twin home was badly damaged. The roof and part of the wall collapsed, and the windows were shattered. The inside is charred with smoke and water damage, and burned debris surrounded the home.
Christion Smith told CBS News Philadelphia his mother, Maria Dickens, 65, and her husband, Mark McKee, 62, were inside the home in the 500 block of Brinton Street when it caught fire around 5 p.m. Thursday.
"Saddened by this. It was unexpected. I was just with her on her birthday. On the 21st of this month," Smith said.
The niece of McKee told CBS News Philadelphia that the home had been in their family for 66 years.
PECO, Philadelphia Gas Works and the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections all responded to the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by fire marshals and the Philadelphia division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
