Flames poured from the second-floor windows of a rowhome in Philadelphia's Kensington section overnight, and people escaped the home before the fire could do worse. The blaze broke out in the 3300 block of Gransback Street, near Westmoreland Street, and firefighters had it knocked down within roughly 20 minutes of their arrival.
According to NBC10 Philadelphia, fire crews responded to the home late Wednesday night, with the outlet reporting a response time of about 11:50 p.m. and flames brought under control by about 12:11 a.m. Thursday. A separate report from 6abc said crews were called to the scene just after midnight Thursday and were able to quickly get the fire under control, a discrepancy in timing between the two accounts. Either way, people escaped before the fire tore through the home, and no injuries were reported.
NBC10 crews on scene spotted an ambulance parked nearby, though no injuries were reported immediately. Fire officials did not say how many people may have actually been inside the home when the flames broke out, and the station reported that the question remained unanswered as of its report. The same account notes that investigators were still trying to determine what sparked the fire, a probe that 6abc also confirmed was ongoing.
A Street With a Recent History of Fire
This is not the first time flames have hit Gransback Street this year. A previous rowhome fire on the 2900 block of Gransback Street sent one woman to the hospital in stable condition after she escaped through a rear door and suffered smoke inhalation, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. Nearly 60 firefighters worked for about 45 minutes to bring those flames under control, the station reported at the time.
Kensington rowhomes have seen serious fires. A fire on the 3400 block of Reach Street injured seven people, including three children, with one adult left in critical condition, as reported by CBS News Philadelphia. That blaze was brought under control by roughly 6:30 p.m., according to the same report. In September, a Kensington apartment fire injured two people — a man and a woman, both listed in stable condition — with crews getting that fire under control by about 1:22 a.m., as previously reported by Hoodline.
What Happens Next
No cause has been determined for Wednesday night's fire on Gransback Street, and investigators have not said when they expect to finish examining the scene. For now, residents in the 3300 block are left with a damaged home and the same unanswered question that followed the last fire on their street: what sparked it.
