Firefighters later found a third adult and a 5-year-old girl in a rear bedroom as crews searched the burning D Street home.
PHILADELPHIA — A neighbor helped two adults escape through second-story windows as an early-morning fire burned through a Kensington home Sunday, while firefighters searching inside found two more people, including a 5-year-old girl who later died.
The rescue unfolded after firefighters were sent to the 3300 block of D Street at about 3:30 a.m. following reports that several people were trapped. The neighbor assisted two adults out of the second-story front windows before or during the emergency response, according to information provided by the Philadelphia Fire Department.
Firefighters entered the home and continued searching for occupants. Rescue teams found a third adult and the girl trapped in a rear bedroom. The child was taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Authorities had not released her name Sunday morning.
All three adults were hospitalized in critical condition, according to the deputy fire marshal. They were receiving treatment at Einstein Medical Center and Temple University Hospital. Officials had not released their names, ages or relationships to the child.
The accounts of the neighbor’s intervention and the firefighters’ interior search show how the emergency developed while flames were still active inside the home. Officials had not released further details about the neighbor or described exactly how the two adults were helped from the upstairs windows.
Fire crews brought the blaze under control within about 30 minutes of their arrival. Preliminary information indicated that the fire was believed to have started on the second floor, but investigators had not determined what ignited it.
The Philadelphia Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause. No official finding had been announced Sunday morning, and authorities had not released information about smoke alarms, possible ignition sources or other conditions inside the property before the fire.
Investigators also had not provided a detailed timeline showing when each occupant was located or removed from the home. Officials had not identified the people involved or said whether everyone inside the building at the time of the fire had been accounted for beyond the four victims described in the initial report.
The investigation remained active Sunday as the three injured adults continued receiving hospital treatment. Authorities said additional information about the victims had not yet been released, and the cause of the deadly fire remained unknown.
Author note: Last updated October 11, 2026.