Fire officials in Philadelphia were continuing their investigation Thursday into an apartment fire that killed at least 12 people, including eight children.
The fire broke out Wednesday morning in a three-story building that had been converted into two apartments where fire officials say more than 20 people were staying at the time.
The fire is among the city's deadliest ever. Its cause has not yet been determined.
A small memorial with stuffed animals was set up near the house Thursday.
"I've been around for 35 years now, and this is probably one of the worst fires I've ever been to," Philadelphia Fire Department First Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said Wednesday.
City officials have not yet released the names or ages of the victims.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Thursday said it was mobilizing a National Response Team to aid in the investigation "given the magnitude and scope of the fire." The ATF will work alongside the city's fire marshal and police department, the agency said.
Here's what we know:
Where did the fire occur?
The Philadelphia Fire Department said crews responded to the blaze on North 23rd Street around 6:40 a.m. Wednesday and saw intense flames coming from the second floor.
"Firefighters immediately entered the building to find heavy smoke, heat, and limited visibility on all floors. They made an aggressive attack on the fire, raising multiple ladders to exterior windows and the roof, and conducting search-and-rescue efforts throughout the interior," the city said in a statement Wednesday.
'Tremendous loss of life':At least 12 dead, including 8 children, in Philadelphia apartment fire
One of the children was rescued from the building but did not survive, according to the statement.
The fire broke out inside a Philadelphia Housing Authority building in the Fairmount neighborhood, near Pennsylvania's Schuylkill River and home to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Murphy said eight people were living in the lower unit of the building and 18 were living in the upper unit.
There were 14 residents authorized on the lease for the upper unit, Philadelphia Housing authority president Kelvin A. Jeremiah said Thursday. Jeremiah said that families hosting guests over the holidays is expected.
What caused the fire?
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Murphy said Wednesday.
Murphy said the fire was "not necessarily considered suspicious" but the investigation would be "all hands on deck."
The building was equipped with smoke detectors but "none of them operated," Murphy said.
The housing authority inspected one of the units in April 2021 and the other in May 2021, according to the statement from the city. Smoke detectors in the units were working during those inspections, the statement said.
Speaking Thursday, Jeremiah said "At the time of our inspection these equipment were fully operational."
He also added that 10-year batteries had been replaced on schedule.
Who were the victims?
Fire officials said eight children and four adults died in the fire. Officials initially reported 13 people died, including seven children, but revised the number Wednesday evening.
A family living in the building consisted of a grandmother, her three daughters and their children, among others, Jeremiah said.
Some of the children killed were part of the School District of Philadelphia, the district said in a statement.
"The School District of Philadelphia is heartbroken over the tragic news of yesterday’s house fire in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood, which claimed the lives of 12 people, including children associated with our District. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family members, friends and school communities who are grieving this unimaginable loss," the district said.
A verified GoFundMe organized by Andrea Bronson was set up to cover funeral expenses, the webpage said. It raised more than $100,000 as of Thursday afternoon.
"This has devastated our entire family and we are humbly asking our community for assistance," the webpage said.
Tommy White said his first cousin, Vanessa McDonald, might never recover from the loss of her two daughters. McDonald was in a state of shock and not speaking, White said.
McDonald's daughters each had children, but it’s unclear whether all of them were home at the time of the fire or how many of them died, he said.
“We’re just trying to cushion the blow for them at this time,” White said Thursday. “They are still in a place of denial. They are still struggling to accept this.
“The pain they are experiencing and the things that they are going to continue to feel for the rest of their lives – that’s the part they share alone. At this point in time, Vanessa is not in a position to talk about that because her heart is not there.”
Qaadira Purifoy told KYW-TV and WPVI-TV her sisters, nieces and nephews were among the victims.
"Losing sisters ... I never thought this would happen," she told reporters Wednesday. "I work with children, so to know that my nieces and nephews are not here is going to be really hard for me to work with kids again."
Was the number of people living in the building a violation?
Philadelphia's code does not limit occupancy for family residences, Department of Licenses and Inspections spokesperson Karen Guss told USA TODAY. It's also possible some of the people in the building may have been guests and not residents, she said.
There were no records of violations issued by the city licenses and inspections department, Guss added. The number of exits at the building was sufficient, she said.
Philadelphia Housing Authority's president said at the time of Wednesday's fire, family members may have still been spending time together after the winter holidays.
“This is a time of year when family gather," said Jeremiah at a press briefing Thursday.
Addressing the size of the family, Jeremiah said apartments containing more than two family generations are not unusual in cities like Philadelphia.
“This not unique to Philadelphia or the United States frankly," he said. "We have intergenerational families."
Murphy said Wednesday that the building had two exits. The number of exits did not hinder the rescue attempt, he added.
Mayor Jim Kenney told people not to jump to conclusions about the number of people living in the building at the time.
“You don’t know the circumstances of each and every family, and maybe there were relatives and family that needed to be sheltered," Kenney said. “Obviously the tragedy happened, and we all mourn for it. But we can’t make judgment on the number of people living in the house because sometimes people just need to be indoors.”
Fire was among deadliest home fires in US in past 40 years
Wednesday's fire was the deadliest home fire in Pennsylvania and among the deadliest in U.S. history, according to a database compiled by the National Fire Protection Association.
Only five other home fires tracked by the group since 1980 were deadlier.
In Pennsylvania, 11 people were killed in 1998 in Miles Township when a cabin went up in flames. In 1985, 11 people in Philadelphia were killed when police bombed a house associated with MOVE, a Black liberation group. The bombing caused a fire that spread to dozens of rowhomes.
Contributing: The Associated Press
