'He died a hero': Father, 3 children killed in Kensington rowhome fire
3 children, father killed in Kensington rowhome fire
The School District of Philadelphia identified three children killed in a rowhome fire as Yamalier, 5, Yadriel, 9, and 12-year-old Alexangel. The children's father was also killed when family members say he went back into the fire to search for the kids.
PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia father was killed in a rowhome fire when neighbors say he went back into the inferno to search for his three children who also perished.
The School District of Philadelphia on Monday identified the young victims of the fire as Yamalier, 5, Yadriel, 9, and 12-year-old Alexangel Arroyo-Santana. Authorities say the children, along with their father Alexis, died in a fire that erupted in a row home on the 3200 block of Hartville Street around 2 a.m. Sunday.
Neighbors say Alexis told his wife to escape out a window while he went into the home to search for their children. The mother ended up being the only member of the family to escape the blaze.
"He had a chance to jump out, but he ended up telling his wife to jump out of the window. He’ll get the children, so he died a hero," a neighbor who asked to remain anonymous said.
Fire investigators have not pinpointed what started the fire, but they said no smoke alarms were sounding when firefighters arrived.
"We aren’t prepared so say that there were no alarms," Battalion Chief Gustav Baumann said. "We just know no alarms sounded upon arrival of the fire department."
The Philadelphia Fire Department said it has installed 4200 smoke alarms since December, with 5700 requests for alarms still to be installed.
The four deaths push the number of people killed in fires in Philadelphia this year to 21, including the nine children and three adults killed in January's tragic Fairmount apartment fire.