Fifty families were displaced in a Fox Chase apartment building fire on Thursday, but no injuries were reported to residents or firefighters.
The blaze began at about 3:30 p.m. at the Villages at Pine Valley on the 200 block of Ernest Way, just north of Susquehanna Road. The first firefighters at the scene saw flames along the roofline of the four-story building, said Capt. Clifford Gilliam, a fire department spokesman. The building is part of an active older adult community adjacent to CORA Services headquarters.
Firefighters declared the flames under control at 4:37 p.m. There were numerous evacuees who were housed initially on SEPTA buses, Gilliam said. Many of the affected apartment units were unoccupied at the time. The American Red Cross assisted many evacuees at the scene, but no displaced residents requested further help, said Red Cross spokesman Dave Schrader.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. ••
