PRESS RELEASES OCT-DEC 2008

October 2008

Date Number Title
October 2008  

WOMAN KILLED IN SOUTHWEST PHILADELPHIA FIRE

October 14, 2008 - A 45-year-old female was killed and a toddler was injured in a house fire in Southwest Philadelphia Monday evening. The fire broke out at about 5:20 p.m. inside a home in the 2400 block of S. 57th Street. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered heavy fire on the 1st floor of the building.

The 45-year-old woman and the toddler were rushed to area hospitals. The adult female was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The condition of the toddler was not immediately available. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Fire officials said smoke alarms found inside the home did not have batteries.
October 2008  

ONE PERSON INJURED IN NICETOWN FIRE

October 20, 2008  -- A woman was transported to Temple University Hospital Sunday night after her Tioga-Nicetown home caught fire.  The fire department arrived to the 2000 block of West Venango around 10:45pm to put out the fire when they found the woman. The victim is being treated for smoke inhalation.

According to Chief Williams, the cause of the fire is arson. Police have one person in custody at this time. It is not clear whether or not the suspect lived at the home.

October 2008 1

Fatal Fire Erupts In Southwest Senior Center

A fire at a Philadelphia senior housing center claimed the life of a blind resident. The fire broke out on the 4th floor of the Katie B. Jackson Plaza apartment complex. The unidentified female victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Fifty-five other residents were able to evacuate the building safely. Two residents suffered injuries and were taken to an area hospital for treatment. Fire officials said the blaze started was caused by a microwave oven.
October 2008 2

16-year veteran of the PFD named "Firefighter of the Year"

A 16-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department has been named "Firefighter of the Year." Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers and President of the City's Fire Department Historical Corporation honored David A. Pannella, of Ladder Company 29, with the special honor in a ceremony held at the Fireman's Hall Museum Friday afternoon.

Firefighter Pannella rescued four civilians from a burning apartment building in the Olney section of the city earlier in the year.

October 2008 3

Fire in City Hall damages four offices

A fire that damaged a judge's chambers in Philadelphia City Hall led to water and smoke damage in at least three other offices. The blaze began in the fourth-floor chambers of Common Pleas Court Judge Kathryn S. Lewis.

Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said the judge's chambers were being remodeled and were not occupied. He said the cause of the fire "may be electrical," and that it started in a window well that contained an air conditioner, electrical circuits and appliances. Dispatchers working overnight in City Hall were evacuated, Ayers said. There were no injuries.

Fire officials said the chambers above Lewis', belonging to Common Pleas Court Judge Albert Sheppard, had smoke damage, and the chambers of Common Pleas Court Judge Gene Cohen and the Hero Scholarship Fund Office on the third floor sustained water damage.