A fire sparked by a charging e-bike tore through a residence in South Philadelphia late last week, leaving a woman dead and two other people injured, including a young child.
A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Fire Department told NTD via email Monday that firefighters responded just before 5 a.m. on Friday to a home on the 2600 block of South Mildred Street near Oregon Avenue in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood.
"Unfortunately, there is one fire fatality," the spokesperson said. "Additionally, two people were injured—an adult that was taken to the hospital in stable condition and a child in critical condition."
Philadelphia Fire Department Executive Chief Daniel McCarty told the outlet at the scene that there was "a lot of fire" in the home. He said the blaze appeared to start on the first floor of the attached rowhouse, adding that two of the victims were found on that level in the kitchen area.
"It looks like they potentially awoke to the smoke and fire," McCarty said. "Again, I can't confirm that—I was not there. But just preliminary, where they were found by our responders, it looks like they were trying to make it out."
The spokesperson said the fire was brought under control in about 15 minutes. The Fire Marshal's Office did determine that a lithium-ion e-bike battery that was charging inside the house caused the fire.
Surveillance footage from the street appears to show several blasts coming from the residence before firefighters arrived at the scene. Heavy smoke can also be seen billowing onto the road.
Speaking with ABC6, local resident Chris Adams said he heard yelling coming from inside the home at the time of the incident.
"I could hear somebody screaming, extremely loud. I've never heard—it was like bloody violence," he said. "It was crazy."
NTD reached out to the local medical examiner's office for more information, but a response was not received by publication time.
In a statement shared on Facebook, the Philadelphia Fire Department expressed condolences to those who knew the victims.