Philly Family Chose to Fight Fire That Killed Two [Cambodian-American children]

Thu, 02/24/2011
BY ALLISON STEELE and JEFF GAMMAGE
The Philadelphia Inquirer

As a fast-moving fire spread through a crowded Olney rowhouse Tuesday, members of the family that lived there apparently never called 911 and tried to extinguish the blaze themselves, according to Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers.

"They discovered it, and they made the choice to fight it," Ayers said.

By noon, the flames had grown out of control, and passersby and neighbors called 911. By the time firefighters arrived, a 7- and 9-year-old boy were dead, and at least seven members of the household were injured, including four other children.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Ayers said. It was not clear why the residents of the home, who were Cambodian, did not call 911, but Ayers acknowledged there might be "cultural issues" at play, such as distrust of the government.

"This was an absolute tragedy," Ayers said, adding that the department will look at how it can reach out to non-English-speaking populations. "This shows there's clearly the need for more education in some of the communities in our city."

At least five people remained hospitalized Wednesday with serious or critical injuries. The victims have not been identified.

The rowhouse at 134 Sparks St. had been home to at least 10 members of an extended family, some of whom came to America as refugees more than a decade ago.

A day afterward, little beyond the brick frame of the Olney rowhouse remained. A sidewalk memorial had begun to bloom, with flowers set beside a row of stuffed animals and votive candles depicting a benevolent Jesus perched on a short brick wall.

"All gone," said a disbelieving Gloria Garcia, who lives on the block. "I saw the flame, and the fire coming out of the roof."

The house had no working smoke detectors, fire officials said. The electrical outlets were overloaded, the house was cluttered with space heaters and other appliances, and one neighbor said the family kept a hot plate in the living room. Ayers said there was no indication whether any of those caused the fire.

Rorng Sorn, executive director of the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia, said she and others were still trying to determine how many people were injured and how they are related to one another.

She said three children were being treated at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, one in serious condition. Two grown children were in the intensive-care unit at Temple University Hospital.

The mother of some of the children was in Cambodia visiting family when the fire broke out. She is expected to return Thursday, Sorn said.

Bill Gault, president of the firefighters union, blamed the city's scheduled brownouts for the severity of the fire, but city officials disputed that.

The station closest to the home, Engine 61, was closed Tuesday. Engine 51, which is less than two-tenths of a mile farther away, responded to the scene within five minutes, Gault said.

"If Engine 61 was open, they could have been there in two minutes," Gault said.

Fire officials and Mark McDonald, a spokesman for Mayor Nutter, said the department's response time was within accepted guidelines. Even if Engine 61 had been open, McDonald pointed out, its firefighters could have been at another fire when Tuesday's call came in.

The Red Cross is assisting people displaced by the fire, said spokesman Dave Schrader. Family members have been relocated to a temporary home, where they are being given meals and clothing.

Neighbors said the family moved into the house about 15 years ago.

Cambodians make up a tiny minority -- about 6,570 people, less than one-tenth of 1 percent -- of the city population. Many came here after escaping war or the horrors of the Killing Fields genocide.

The family on Sparks followed a familiar path, coming to Philadelphia as refugees during the post-Vietnam waves of resettlement, landing first in Logan, Sorn said. Like others, they saved enough money to move to a nicer home in a better neighborhood.