1984 — Feb 8, Family Row-House Fire, Philadelphia (Kensington section), PA — 10
–10 AP. “10 people perish in Kensington fire.” Daily Intelligencer, Doylestown, PA, 2-10-1984, 10C.
–10 NFPA. The U.S. Fire Problem. Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities (1980-2007). 2008
–10 Philadelphia Inquirer. “Recent Fire Falls Short of the city’s Deadliest.” Dec 28, 2008.
Narrative Information
Philadelphia Inquirer, 2008: “In the worst single-dwelling fire in Philadelphia, 10 people died at 2314 Coral St. in Kensington from a fire caused by careless smoking. The dead included six children from two families.” (Philadelphia Inquirer. “Recent Fire Falls Short of the city’s Deadliest.” Dec 28, 2008.)
Feb 9, UPI: “Philadelphia (UPI) — Eight people, members of two families crowded into a three-story rowhouse, were killed in a fire that gutted their home in Philadelphia’s Kensington section, authorities said. Police said three others were critically injured in the Wednesday night [Feb 8] blaze. The adult dead were two 55-year-old men and two women, one of them 30 and one 35, police said. The four children were a 1-year-old girl, a 9-year-old girl, and two boys, one 8 and one 7….
“The fire began in a first floor front room and quickly spread, police said, but the cause was under investigation.
“Then neighbors broke down the front door to enter the building they were turned back by smoke and flames, police said.
“The one adult survivor was identified as John Nagle, 43, the father of some of the children. Police said he escaped from the second floor when neighbors put up a ladder. He was in critical condition at Episcopal Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.” (UPI. “Eight Members of 2 Families Die in Fire.” Tyrone Daily Herald, PA, 2-9-1984, p. 2.)
Feb 10, AP: “Philadelphia (AP) — Two young children Thursday became the ninth and 10th victims of a row house blaze that started with careless smoking and ended with one of the highest tolls from a residential fire in the city’s history, authorities said….Frank Nagle, 5, and Megan McDonough, 2 — died Thursday afternoon of burns and smoke inhalation at [a hospital].
“Drennen[1] said the blaze began just before 9:30 p.m. in a sofa bed on the first-floor living room. The force of the fire blew out the windows in the room, allowing air to rush in to feed the flames as they spread to the second and third floors, he said. ‘To the untrained observer, it looked like an explosion. But it actually was what we call a ‘flashover,’ when the fire peaks in a room,’ he said….
“Drennen said no smoke detectors were in the home. ‘If they had had smoke detectors, some of those people might have been saved,’ he said….
“Neighbors who tired to rescue the victims said they could hear children’s screams before the heat and flames forced them away from the building….
“The dead were tentatively identified as Nagle’s wife, Barbara, 30, and their children, Annette, 8, and John 7; Mrs. Nagle’s father, Howard Myers, 55; Denise McDonough, 35, and her children Kelly Ann, 1, and Timothy, 5, and Robert McBride Nagles….
“The fire was declared under control about a half hour after it started, but not before it also caused smoke damage to the adjoining homes….” (AP, Philadelphia. “10 people perish in Kensington fire.” Daily Intelligencer/Montgomery County Record, Doylestown, PA, 2-10-1984, 10C.)
Sources
Associated Press, Philadelphia. “10 people perish in Kensington fire.” Daily Intelligencer / Montgomery County Record, Doylestown, PA, 2-10-1984, 10C. Accessed 2-1-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/doylestown/doylestown-intelligencer/1984/02-10/page-10?tag
National Fire Protection Association. “Home Fires With Ten or More Fatalities.” Accessed 3-20-2016 at: http://www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and-statistics/fires-in-the-us/multiple-death-fires/homes-fires-with-ten-or-more-fatalities
Philadelphia Inquirer. “Recent Fire Falls Short of the City’s Deadliest.” 12-28-2008. Accessed at: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/36793314.html
United Press International. “Eight Members of 2 Families Die in Fire.” Tyrone Daily Herald, PA, 2-9-1984, p. 2. Accessed 2-1-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/tyrone/tyrone-daily-herald/1984/02-09/page-2?tag
[1] Captain Robert Drennen, spokesman for Philadelphia Fire Commissioner William Richmond.