PHILADELPHIA — Two people were reported to be trapped inside a Philadelphia row home that collapsed and caught fire Thursday, authorities said.
More than 100 firefighters battled flames that shot out the top of the collapsed home and spread to three or four adjacent homes in south Philadelphia. News video showed heavy smoke billowing from the scene.
WATCH: Firefighters battle a multi-alarm fire following a house explosion in South Philadelphia Thursday, @CBSPhilly reports; officials say two people are trapped inside. pic.twitter.com/YJuqjSEkIp
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) December 19, 2019
Officials said they received multiple calls about a house explosion and the possible smell of gas shortly after 11:30 a.m. Fire crews reported the blaze under control more than three hours later.
The status of the two trapped people was not immediately known.
Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said at the scene that firefighters “went into a fully collapsed building that was on fire to try to rescue somebody.”
Lisa Marie Cerra told The Philadelphia Inquirer that she and other residents tried to rescue someone under debris when firefighters arrived.
“We saw her feet, and then they couldn’t get to her,” she said.
Gas to the area was shut off, and residents were evacuated as a precaution.
