At least 13 people — including seven children — were killed in a horrific fire Wednesday at a house in Philadelphia, per The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The home — located in the Fairmount section of the city — is owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority. At least 26 people were living in the home, which is a three-story row house.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said he was devastated by the massive fire.
- “My heart goes out to the loved ones left to cope with this heartbreaking loss of life,” he said.
- “Thank you to the brave first responders who got the fire under control.”
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said: “This is without a doubt one of the most tragic days in our city’s history.”
Per CNN, firefighters reportedly found ”heavy fire” in the kitchen area. Craig Murphy, Philadelphia deputy fire commissioner, said there was “nothing slowing that fire from moving.”
- “It was terrible,” Murphy said. “This is probably one of the worst fires I ever been to.”
The Philadelphia Fire Department said it “took 50 minutes to place the fire under control.”