At least twelve people, including eight children, died this Wednesday, January 5 in a large fire affecting an apartment building in the center of Philadelphia, in the eastern United States.
After a toll of thirteen dead given by the firefighters of the city, the town hall finally assured that twelve deaths had been noted.
“This is without a doubt one of the most tragic days in our city’s history,” said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. A firefighter, Craig Murphy, spoke of a “terrible toll”, referring to “one of the worst fires” for him in 35 years of practice.
The fire under control, the results uncertain
Philadelphia firefighters arrived at the scene at 6:40 am (11:40 GMT) and had to deal with “an intense fire originating from the second floor of a house” which has three.
“It took fifty minutes to bring the fire under control,” they said in a tweet.
The drama took place in the central and residential neighborhood of Fairmont, where the great museums of Philadelphia are located.
