PHILADELPHIA — A building that caught fire collapsed early Saturday in a Philadelphia neighborhood, killing one firefighter and injuring four others and a building inspector, authorities said.
Update 7:27 a.m. EDT June 19: Philadelphia city officials identified the firefighter killed in Saturday’s building collapse as Lt. Sean Williamson, 51, WCAU-TV reported. He worked at Ladder 18 in the Hunting Park neighborhood, according to the television station. He had one son, the city said.
Police also identified the four other firefighters and a Licensing and Inspections Department employee injured during the incident, KYW-TV reported.
Firefighters Robert Brennan Jr. and Dennis Daly are in critical but stable condition, the television station reported. Lieutenants Sylvester Burton and Clarence Johnson were both treated and released from an area hospital, along with Inspector Thomas Rybakowski was also treated and released. All five of them were rescued from the rubble.
BREAKING UPDATE: The city has identified the firefighter killed in the North Philadelphia building collapse as 51-year-old Lieutenant Sean Williamson. He was a 27-year veteran of the department. The city also identified the five others who were injured. https://t.co/cKLTQ7CAJK
— CBS Philly (@CBSPhilly) June 18, 2022
Update 8:15 a.m. EDT June 18: Philadelphia fire officials confirmed that one firefighter died and five people were rescued from the building in hte Fairhill section of Philadelphia, WCAU-TV reported.
Philadelphia Fire Department 1st Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy confirmed that the firefighter, a 27-year veteran of the department, died after the three-story building collapsed at 3:24 a.m. EDT.
Four other firefighters and a Licensing and Inspections Department employee were also trapped, Murphy told reporters. They were taken to an area hospital. The inspector was released and the firefighters remained hospitalized in stable condition, WCAU reported.
“It’s gonna be a rough few weeks coming up,” Murphy told reporters. “You can’t predict this. This was just a catastrophic accident that has really hurt our department.”
#BREAKING UPDATE: One firefighter is dead after a building collapsed in Philadelphia’s Fairhill section Saturday morning, officials say. Five other people were pulled from the rubble. https://t.co/xBiOuoo7HL
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) June 18, 2022
Original report: In a tweet, the Philadelphia Fire Department said more than one person was still under the rubble hours after the structure collapsed in the city’s Fairhill neighborhood.
The building caught fire around 3 a.m. EDT but was put under control, WCAU-TV reported. A few firefighters remained on the scene to inspect the building and ensure there were no remaining hotspots, fire officials told the television station.
Responding agencies include Philadelphia Police, L&I, OEM, PGW, PECO, PWD, American Red Cross, 2nd Alarmers, and SEPTA. The fire response remains at 2-alarms. Updates to follow.
— Philadelphia Fire (@PhillyFireDept) June 18, 2022
The building collapsed two hours later, according to the television station.
“So far, several were rescued and transported to hospitals. Work continues to free others,” the fire department tweeted. The department said an “L&I inspector” was among those caught in the collapse. That is an apparent reference to the Department of Licenses and Inspections, according to The Associated Press.
Philadelphia firefighters are on-scene at a building collapse after a fire at a restaurant on West Indiana Avenue. We saw one firefighter being taken away on a stretcher. Awaiting more details. pic.twitter.com/H10FDaErSk
— Brandon Goldner (@GoldnerTV) June 18, 2022
According to WXTF-TV, the inspector and a firefighter were taken to an area hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
It was not immediately clear how many people were still trapped, the AP reported.
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