Cause of deadly Philadelphia fire likely Christmas tree lit with lighter: Fire chief
ABC News
A fast-moving fire in a Philadelphia row house that killed 12 people last week likely started after a Christmas tree was lit ablaze with a lighter.
A fast-moving fire in a Philadelphia row house that killed 12 people last week, including eight children, likely started after a Christmas tree was lit ablaze with a lighter, fire officials said Tuesday.
The intense fire started Wednesday morning on the second story of a duplex unit, and all fatalities occurred in the same unit, city officials said.
A lighter was found near the Christmas tree on the second floor, and there appear to have been no other possible ignition sources based on the preliminary investigation, according to Philadelphia Fire Chief Adam Thiel.
"We believe with certainty, with 99 to 100% confidence, that the first item ignited in this blaze was a Christmas tree," Thiel said during a press briefing Tuesday. "We believe with near certainty, based on the evidence, that the ignition source for that tree was a lighter that was located nearby."
