Investigation continues into North Philly building collapse
Heaps of bricks, twisted metal and splintered wood spilled across West Indiana Avenue and Third Street on Sunday morning in Fairhill, the battered sign for Star Pizza & Seafood peaking from the rubble.
What caused the fire in the mixed-use building and what ultimately led to its collapse early Saturday — killing Lt. Sean Williamson, injuring four other firefighters and a city building inspector, and displacing 11 residents — could take a week or more to uncover, fire marshals said.
“This will be painfully slow: a systematic effort, piece by piece,” Fire Marshal Battalion Chief Christopher Beale said at the scene Sunday. Officials will examine all possible ignition sources and rule out possible causes, one by one. For now, “They’re all on the table.”
Fire officials will also work with the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections to assess what contributed to the collapse of a three-story building that officials said was the site of unpermitted construction in recent years.
“If the structure is weak to begin with, and then the fire attacks it, it weakens it. The fire might have just been the catalyst,” Beale said.
A third of Philly building inspectors have quit since 2019. Critics say that threatens public safety.
City officials and neighbors alike described the blaze as a minor one that had already been declared under control when the building collapsed shortly before 3:30 a.m. Saturday. Three firefighters and one L&I inspector were initially trapped but quickly freed. It took nearly four hours for rescue workers to reach Williamson and another firefighter, Robert Brennan Jr., who was taken to Temple University Hospital and was in critical but stable condition along with firefighter Dennis Daly.
According to Beale, Williamson and others were in the process of what’s known as “overhauling.”
That’s the necessary step of checking a scene for any lingering fires that may be smoldering above ceilings or behind walls. “You don’t want to come back twice,” he said, noting that a return trip would likely mean even more serious damage. At the same time, he said, investigators had already begun working to identify the cause of the fire Saturday when the building came down.
Neighbors noted that work at the building included moving an exterior staircase and, apparently, construction on the upstairs apartments. Though three families were living in the building, there were no active rental permits, city records show. Those records also show numerous unresolved building code violations at the site, many of them related to fire safety issues.
Khalil Al-Ashraf, the owner of Star Pizza, hung up the phone when contacted by a reporter Sunday.
Bernard Torres, who lives across the street, said he was awakened by his brother warning of the fire around 2:30 a.m. “It didn’t look that serious. They stopped the fire in, let’s say, 15 minutes. We went back to sleep, and then we heard a noise. Boom!”
Smoking a cigarette on his porch, feet away from the pile of debris, he summed up the scene in a word: “Devastating.”
A perimeter of caution tape and rows of red Fire Department vehicles ringed the scene Sunday morning, where no active work had yet begun.
“I’m sorry for you guys’ loss,” a driver called to department staffers as he was diverted down American Street.
Williamson, 51, who was assigned to Ladder 18 in Hunting Park, is survived by his mother and a son. His mother, Barbara Nerch, referred questions to the Fire Department.
“Sean had a big family, a loving family. That’s all I can say. He’s going to be very missed,” she said.
Williamson’s public service elicited words of praise and gratitude from Mayor Jim Kenney.
“For more than 27 years, he dedicated his life to serving and protecting the people of Philadelphia, and sacrificed his life protecting others,” Kenney said in a statement.
Dave Skutnik, regional communications director for the Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania, said the organization is providing emergency assistance for three families, totaling 11 people, who were living in apartments above the pizza shop.
“We provide them with financial support for temporary lodging, food and clothing and they will work with our case workers on an individual basis to find new places to live,” he said.