A fire in a Tacony storefront claimed the lives of two children and injured a woman critically early Tuesday.
The Philadelphia Fire Department has not released the identities or ages of the victims. A teenage girl and a boy were pronounced dead at the scene, said Executive Chief Richard Davison.
The adult female was taken to Aria Health-Torresdale for treatment of undisclosed injuries.
The blaze broke out at about 4:44 a.m. at 6812 Torresdale Ave., a two-story, middle-of-the-block storefront just north of Knorr Street. The Fresh & Sharp Unisex Hair Salon occupies the first floor, with an apartment on the second floor.
When firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke on both floors, Davison said. They declared the flames under control at 5:37 a.m.
Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers reportedly told news media at the scene that responding firefighters initially were told that nobody was inside the burning property. Minutes later, however, they learned that the apartment was occupied and launched a search.
The specific causes of death were not immediately available from the city medical examiner’s office.
The cause and point of origin of the fire remain under investigation, Davison said.
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A man who was badly burned in a Jan. 3 fire in a Welsh Road apartment died of his injuries the following day.
Davison said the man, whom he wouldn’t identify, was injured in an early-evening cooking fire at 2630 Welsh Road.
Davison said two women also were hospitalized. He said the man’s cause of death was not released. ••
