Fire guts Sansom house

A fire broke out in a rowhouse at 4042 Sansom Street at about 3:35 this morning. Seven students were sent to the hospital, according to Philadelphia Fire Department officials.

One student was in critical condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania as of 10:30 a.m. Friday. The injured students, four men and three women, all suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to HUP.

Five of the students were treated and discharged the same day.

College senior Joe Russo was in intensive care on Friday morning, but Wharton senior and house resident Ricardo Franco, who was treated for a hairline fracture to the ankle and released, reported that Russo was awake and alert.

College senior Nathaniel Kane was transferred to the Temple University Burn Center with burns to the hand. He was listed in good condition as of late Friday afternoon.

Fire officials say that all those inside escaped the fire, two through the exits and three by jumping from the building. The remaining two were rescued by firefighters.

At a press conference held Friday morning, officials said that six of those in the house were Penn students and that one was a student of Bryn Mawr College, which is located in the city's suburbs.

Witnesses said that the fire started on the first floor and spread to the upper floors of one side of the three-story building. Firefighters had the fire under control by 4:20 a.m., officials said.

Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said at the press conference that the cause of the fire was unknown and that the department is investigating. Ayers added that officials believe all those inside were asleep when the fire started. He credited a fire alarm with waking all the students.

Friends of the residents said that a party had been held at the house earlier in the night but that all guests left before the fire started.

Both Penn and Philadelphia emergency personnel responded to the fire. Ayers said that fire trucks arrived within three minutes of the initial emergency call.

Engineering sophomore Steve Jones said he saw two people apparently trapped on the third floor, leaning out the window toward the street.

"There was smoke coming from behind them," Jones said. "It was pretty intense."

"When [firefighters] brought them down the ladder, the girl looked OK," Jones said. "The guy looked pretty messed up."

Another witness said that the people on the third floor threw a matress to the ground as though they meant to jump to safety but were told not to by firefighters, who then raised ladders to the windows.

Witnesses estimated that between five and 10 fire trucks were present.

Students, some crying and others taking pictures, crowded along the adjacent block of Walnut Street.

Smoke from the fire blanketed much of the surrounding area, setting off fire alarms in the Fresh Grocer nearby. Spray from fire hydrants frosted parked cars and the streets with ice, prompting officials to block off the area.

Penn Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said at the press conference that the Penn students displaced by the fire have been given the option of living in the Sheraton University City Hotel, which has been used before to house students in special circumstances.

Rush added, however, that as spring break is beginning the students will likely be leaving campus shortly.

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