Officials Say Wrong Fuel Caused Philadelphia Fire

Fire officials say a heater filled with gasoline instead of kerosene caused a fire that killed seven people in a southwest Philadelphia home.

Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers says a fire marshal’s report confirms what firefighters at the scene suspected: Pouring the wrong fuel in the heater touched off an “instant fire'” that killed four adults and three children Friday night.

Ayers says the fire spread so fast that the victims “went from looking at television to instant peril.”

Six victims were found huddled together; a seventh was found near the basement’s only exit to the outside. Investigators said the interior basement stairs had been removed.

There were no smoke alarms in the house.
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Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer