2 killed in Southwest Philly house fire

SOUTHWEST PHILADELPHIA (AP/WTXF) - Two people are dead after a fire tore through a Southwest Philadelphia home overnight.

Just before 5 a.m. April 21, Philadelphia firefighters responded to the 1400 block of South 23rd Street where smoke and flames engulfed a home. Officials say the fire trapped two adults on the second floor. Both of those adults died at the scene.

"I seen the fire coming out the door and two people yelling somebody's still in the house," said neighbor Tracy Cain.

The fire forced Cain to evacuate her home once the smoke cleared. She learned that her friend, a 60-year-old woman, didn't make it out.

"I was just talking to her yesterday. Friendly neighbor, always calling you, always making sure you alright. That was her," Cain said.

According to city officials, a 53-year-old man who lives at the home was also killed. A friend named Marcus tells FOX 29 he was lucky to call that victim a loyal friend for more than 30 years.

"We took a special connection to each other because we were twins and he knew that I lost my twin brother, so he took me and was there for me. He was a stand-up guy. There was a tragedy in their family not too long ago. They just lost their dad" Marcus explained.

According to friends and neighbors, the man's twin brother survived the fire. Officials couldn't say how many people were home when the building caught fire. A total of five properties on the block were damaged.

Members of the city's fire department spent hours shoring up the burned out home. Once it's safe, investigators will re-enter and continue looking into how the fire started.