Jan 6, 2021: A fire at a converted three-story house in the eastern American city of Philadelphia on Wednesday killed 13 people, including seven children, officials said.

Craig Murphy, deputy commissioner of the Philadelphia Fire Department, said the toll from the incident was still changing because restoration efforts are still underway. He added that two more people were taken to hospital. The fire officer said it was the worst fire he had seen in 35 years on the job. Murphy said it was too early to say what caused the fire, but his department was investigating.

“We’re in the process of investigating this to the highest level that we can. We´re incorporating all of our resources.”

The fire department said its officers arrived at the scene in the Fairmount area at 6:40 am “and found heavy fire coming from the second floor of a three-story rowhouse.”