Woman killed in fire at West Philly senior apartment complex
The cause of the fire at the Kearsley Square complex is under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office.
A 71-year-old woman died in a fire in a West Philadelphia age- and income-restricted apartment complex early Sunday morning, according to police and fire officials.
When the Philadelphia Fire Department arrived at the Kearsley Square complex on the 2100 block of North 49th Street in the city’s Wynnefield Heights section shortly before 1 a.m., firefighters found that there had been a fire in a fifth-floor apartment, a spokesperson for the department said.
“Although the sprinkler system helped extinguish the flames, the occupant did not survive,” said Fire Department spokesperson Kathy Matheson.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause of death, Matheson said.
In a statement issued to the media, Jennifer Sciarra, property manager for Kearsley Square, said the fire was in a building separate from Kearsley Rehabilitation & Nursing Center and was extinguished quickly by the apartment building’s sprinkler system.
Sciarra said no evacuation of the apartment building or nursing center was necessary. Of Kearsley Square’s 60 apartments, 57 were occupied at the time of the fire, she said.
The identity of the victim was not immediately released.
Sciarra said, “our hearts and deepest condolences go out to the deceased’s family members and loved ones.”