Philadelphia apartment fire started with ignited Christmas tree, officials say

A Christmas tree that was set on fire caused a blaze in a Philadelphia apartment that killed a dozen people, including eight children, last week, the city's top fire official said Tuesday, citing preliminary findings of an investigation.

The fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. (1130 GMT) on Wednesday on the second floor of a three-story row house in the city's Fairmont neighborhood. The building is owned by the federally funded Philadelphia Housing Authority, the fourth-largest housing authority in the United States.

The catastrophe -- along with a fire in New York City on Sunday that claimed the lives of 17 people, including eight children -- has stirred questions on safety standards in low-income city housing in the United States.

Philadelphia fire officials said the building was overcrowded, with 26 inside a structure meant to accommodate two families.

Conflicting accounts emerged about the building's smoke detectors. Fire department officials said four smoke detectors were installed in the building and had last been inspected in 2020. Dinesh Indala, executive vice president at the Philadelphia Housing Authority, told reporters there were six devices last inspected in May 2021.  -- Reuters