'It's a tough time for us': Fire deaths in Philadelphia have reached a 2 year high

Fires deaths in Philadelphia have reached a 2 year high

The number of Philadelphians to have died in fires has reached a two year high. The deadly year was punctuated by a tragic rowhome fire in February that claimed the lives of 12 people, including 8 children. The total number of Philadelphia residents to perish in fires climbed above 40 with two weeks still left in the year.

PHILADELPHIA - The number of Philadelphia residents to have died in fires has reached a two-year-high, leaving firefighters struggling to find ways to extinguish the growing trend.

The tragic statistic includes a February rowhome fire that claimed the lives of a dozen people, including 8 children. Investigators believe the blaze started when a child playing with a lighter ignited a Christmas tree on the second floor of the home.

Three brothers and their father were killed when a fire consumed a home in Kensington last spring. It's believed the father helped his wife escape out a window before rushing back into the flames for his children, never to make it out.

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As of this writing, more than 40 city residents have died in fires this year with more than 2 weeks remaining. Firefighters from the Philadelphia Fire Department are trying everything they can to prevent deadly blazes from sparking, including slashing its backlog of free smoke detector installations to under 200.

"Insure everyone has a working smoke detector, one on every level, one in all bedrooms that's a first step and a safe practice," Assistant Fire Chief Richard Davidson said.

As the year draws to a close, firefighters in North Philadelphia say an early Monday morning fire on the 2400 block of West Seybert Street claimed one life and forced another person to jump to safety. Less than 24-hours prior, firefighter in Frankford found a man's body after extinguishing a house fire.

"It's a tough time for us," Davidson said.