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Firefighters rushed to the 3000 block of North 4th Street in the Fairhill section around 3:30 a.m., finding the home engulfed in smoke and flames pouring from the basement, authorities said.
Two elderly residents were freed from a security cage on the front porch before firefighters charged inside for rescues, Acting Executive Chief Daniel McCarty said.
Inside the basement, they found a 6-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy unresponsive, along with a 45-year-old woman suffering a severe leg injury, officials said.
Medics performed life-saving efforts at the scene before rushing all four victims to area hospitals. The girl and woman were pronounced dead, and the boy remains in critical condition.
A man in his 20s had reportedly tried to shield the children from the fire in a basement bathroom, but investigators believe they were overwhelmed by smoke before rescuers arrived.
The blaze was under control within 30 minutes, but it was too late to save them, McCarty said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Fire Marshal's Office. The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the victims' official causes of death.
Authorities have not released the identities of those involved or their relationships.
This is a developing story.
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