PHILADELPHIA – City Departments continued their full-scale operation to address the aftereffects of a four-alarm weekend fire in Old City.  The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) provided the following update.

  • A team from L&I has conducted comprehensive inspections of the multiple properties affected by the fire. Inspectors have cleared the following properties for re-occupancy:
    • 229 Chestnut St
    • 231 Chestnut St
    • 233 Chestnut St
    • 33 S 3rd St
    • 35 S 3rd St
    • 37-39 S 3rd St
    • 32-42 S Bank St

 

  • Residents of the affected properties that remain too unsafe for re-occupancy have been authorized to re-enter briefly to retrieve medications, documents, and other necessities. These properties include 241-43 Chestnut Street, 45 S. 3rd Street, 41-43 S 3rd Street, and 24 S. Bank Street.

 

  • In all cases, residents should contact property managers to make arrangements for re-occupancy or retrieval of belongings.

 

  • Officials have determined that 24 S. Bank Street is physically connected to 237 Chestnut Street, one of the locations of the blaze and of reoccurring hotspots also extinguished by onsite Fire Department personnel. (See graphic below) 24 S. Bank Street contains 60 residential units that cannot be reoccupied until fire alarm and other fire protection systems are repaired and a firewall is built between 24 S. Bank and 237 Chestnut.

  • To alleviate pressure on 239 Chestnut Street, where the fire originated, L&I removed the building’s multi-story fire escape yesterday. L&I officials are determining how best to stabilize neighboring buildings so that 239 Chestnut can be taken down safely and without causing further damage to these buildings.

 

  • The Philadelphia Fire Department will maintain an engine at the location to continue to combat hotspots. Due to the size of the engine and of heavy construction and demolition equipment that will be needed at the location, in addition to concerns for pedestrian and driver safety, the following road closures will remain in effect:
    • Chestnut between S Bank and S 4th Streets
    • Elbow Lane between S Bank and S 3rd Streets
    • S Bank between Elbow Lane and Chestnut Street
    • S 3rd St between Elbow Lane and Walnut Street.

 

  • The investigation of the Fire Marshal’s Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

 

  • The Department of Commerce has begun looking at business recovery needs.
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