100 displaced as fire sweeps through Clifton apartments
CLIFTON HEIGHTS » Two young children had to be dropped out of a thirdstory window to waiting rescurers during a threealarm fire at the Cliff Park Apartments Monday morning that left about 100 people at least temporarily displaced, according to Police Chief Tim Rockenbach.
“I’d never seen something like that,” said Rockenbach. “I’d seen it on TV. But the mom had a lot of trust in my officers, because she hung both toddlers out and dropped them.”
A teenager and adult suffered non-life threatening injuries after also jumping to safety, said Rockenbach. Both were being treated at Crozer-Chester Medical Center Friday morning.
Delaware County Emergency Services Director Timothy Boyce said the first call came in at about 8:25 a.m. for a fire in the complex’s “C” building, followed by a second alarm at 8:33 a.m. and third at 8:46 a.m. Fire fighters from Clifton Heights, Upper Darby and Springfield responded to the blaze, which Rockenbach estimated was put down after about 45 minutes.
“When the first responding officers got on the scene, there was heavy fire and smoke showing through the third floor,” said Rockenbach. “The first and second floor, they were able to get in those two floors and start evacuating. The third floor, they were beaten back by the smoke. We then heard that there was possibly some entrapment on the third-floor rear.”
Rockenbach said he joined a police sergeant and on-site EMS commander in running to the rear of the building, where the rescue was made. He said he wanted to get a ladder up to the building to avoid risk of injury, but it became apparent it was more beneficial to drop the children rather than wait.
One firefighter suffered an unknown injury but went back to battling the blaze and another suffered a burned hand, said Rockenbach. The burned firefighter was being treated at Delco Memorial Hospital, said Boyce.
The Red Cross was setting up a temporary shelter at the Clifton Heights Fire Station Monday morning for anyone displaced by the fire, said Boyce.
Rockenbach said an investigation into the cause was ongoing and residents of the apartment where the fire started were at police headquarters speaking with investigators. No arrests had been made and no one was charged Monday morning, he said.
Rockenbach commended the fire, police and EMS teams for their fast response in getting the fire quickly knocked down with no casualties.
“For what we were battling, I think it turned out well,” he said. “The circumstances we were in, the fact that nobody has life-threatening injuries or anything, we’re pretty happy with that.”