Sources: Response to deadly Philadelphia fire ‘greatly affected’ by temporary firehouse relocation
Authorities say a 59-year-old man died as a result of the fire that started shortly before midnight on Dec. 31.
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Fire Department sources tell FOX 29 the temporary relocation of nearby fire companies, may have ‘greatly affected’ response time to a fire that left a man dead in West Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve.
FOX 29's Steve Keeley reports that sources within the department say Engine Company 41 and Ladder 24 – which typically cover the area where the fire occurred - had been moved to another firehouse due to leaking pipes.
Authorities say a 59-year-old man died when a home caught fire on the 1500 block of North Robinson Street around 11:20 p.m. on Dec. 31.
Engine 41 and Ladder 24 were relocated from the firehouse on the 1200 block of North 61st Street on Thursday, Dec. 30, according to sources.
Sources say the companies were moved on a temporary basis after ‘pipes encased in asbestos’ were found to be leaking near the living quarters and restroom of the firehouse.
Engine 41 was moved to a firehouse on the 1500 block of Belmont Avenue, while Ladder 24 was relocated to a firehouse on the 5500 block of Chestnut Street, Keeley reports.
The cause of the New Year’s Eve fire on North Robinson Street remains under investigation.
FOX 29 has reached out to Mayor Jim Kenney’s office and the Philadelphia Fire Department for comment.
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