Hundreds Gather to Remember 12 Victims of Philadelphia Fire
The New York Times
The city is investigating the possibility that a child playing with a lighter near a Christmas tree sparked the blaze.
PHILADELPHIA — Family members of the 12 people who died in a fire at a Philadelphia rowhouse gathered on Thursday for a brief vigil on the steps of a local elementary school, sobbing and holding one another in the evening cold. Hundreds stood in silence as one of the family members gave an accounting of the death toll: three sisters and nine of their sons and daughters.
Investigators examining the fire are looking into the possibility that it was caused by a child playing with a lighter near a Christmas tree, according to a warrant application that was filed in state court.
The warrant application, which was earlier reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer and confirmed by a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, was necessary for police investigators to gain access to the apartment. Officials on Thursday emphasized that the investigation was just beginning and that no conclusions had been made.
