Fire at church in Kensington section of Philadelphia under control; 4 homes evacuated
A massive fire ripped through a church in Philadelphia's Kensington section early Friday morning.
The fire started at the church on the 2000 block of East Allegheny Avenue just before 1 a.m.
Deputy Chief Thomas Gallagher of the Philadelphia Fire Department said there were multiple collapses in the church, including the roof.
He said the church was built in 1884 and the heavy use of wood during construction contributed to the size of the fire.
About 100 firefighters fought the flames. The fire was placed under control around 2:45 a.m. and as of 6 a.m. there were no visible flames. They worked to douse embers that were blowing onto nearby properties, but thankfully no other buildings were damaged.
The American Red Cross was called to assist displaced residents from four homes that were evacuated.
No one was injured.
"Luckily I grabbed everything I need. My wallet, my phone and I don't know. I have to go back in but they won't let me in," said Rex Schofield, who was forced to evacuate. "The whole street was filled with fire trucks. They said they don't want us to go back in because if the wall collapses we might get hurt."
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The Philadelphia division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says its arson task force is assisting in the investigation, the bureau said in a social media.
Several residents came out of their homes to see what was going on, including Lamar Sanchez.
"You just never think something like this would happen," Sanchez said. "And I know god has a reason for allowing things to happen, we may never understand his wisdom, but we must trust his will."
On Thursday, another fire in East Germantown destroyed a twin home. Two people are unaccounted for in the blaze, and one firefighter was injured.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
