4 dead after Philadelphia house fire; cause investigated

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Four people were found dead after a house fire in Philadelphia, authorities said.

Crews were called to the blaze at the row home the Kensington neighborhood shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday and found heavy flames and smoke coming from the first and second floors of the row home, Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said.

Sixty firefighters, medics and support workers responded to what he called an “aggressive interior attack" as crews pushed hoses into the building, he said.

Four people were found dead, Javon Davis, assistant deputy fire commissioner, confirmed Saturday afternoon. No further information was released about the four people found. The medical examiner will determine whether the deaths were fire-related, Davis said.

Thiel called it “a very difficult morning for us."

“The worst thing for any firefighter is not being able to save a life," he said.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.