Row Home fire in Fairmount Neighborhood
A fatal fire occurred in the early hours this morning. Sources say there are currently thirteen fatalities and at least 2 injured in a row home fire in the Fairmount neighborhood. Among the thirteen deceased includes seven children. The fire is said to have begun on the second floor of the row home that had been converted into two apartments.
It is still under investigation how the fire began, however, it is found that there were six battery-operated smoke detectors that had recently been inspected, but were not operational when the fire occurred.
We would like to send our condolences to the families affected by this tragic incident and encourage others to take precautionary measures to keep their homes safe from fires by checking their fire alarms to make sure they are working properly. Testing your smoke detectors on a regular basis can prevent a delay in noticing a fire.
It is also extremely important to make sure any electrical devices that are placed into outlets are designed with an automatic shut-off feature that helps prevent outlets from becoming overheated and causing a fire.
Messa & Associates Experienced in Fire Cases
The Philadelphia personal injury attorneys at Messa & Associates have years of experience successfully litigating cases involving fires and explosions. These cases require significant investigation as early possible in order to preserve evidence, determine cause and origin of the fire or explosion, and the responsibility of potential Defendants.
Fire and explosion cases often involve products liability claims for failures of electrical systems, appliances, smoke detectors, smoke alarms, sprinkler systems, and other fire protection and suppression equipment. The firm has handled many fire and explosion cases over the years involving significant injuries and death. Some examples of the successful results obtained by our skilled attorneys:
- Confidential eight-figure settlement against a leading smoke detector manufacturer and major mobile home company where a family of seven perished in a fire. The victims, including five children ages four to eleven, suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation causing their deaths. The victims’ mobile home came equipped with smoke detectors with ionization technology which failed to provide a timely warning of, what the Pennsylvania State Police investigators determined, was a slow and smoldering fire.
- $8 Million settlement for the family of a seven-year-old girl who was killed in a fire caused by a defective curling iron that lacked proper safety precautions to prevent a fire from occurring. The curling iron was plugged into a defective power strip that lacked an industry standard fuse that would have disabled the power running to the curling iron in the event of a short.
- $5.25 Million settlement against a popular manufacturer and retailer of smoke detectors on behalf of the family of a grandmother and her toddler granddaughter who perished in a fire after four ionization smoke detectors failed to detect a growing fire in their two-story home.
- $3.7 Million recovery for death of a nine-year-old boy as a result of a fire in an apartment building.
- $2.9 Million settlement for a burn injury action involving a 3-year-old girl who was burned by an defective electric potpourri pot. The child suffered partial thickness burns on her right arm, right breast and shoulder. The Defendants were aware that the pot was defective and had injured other young children, but continued to market and sell it. The potpourri pots were sold without adequate warnings about the dangers and/or hazards posed by using it on a daily basis.
- $2.225 Million settlement for 11-year old burn victim.
- and many more.
New Jersey and Philadelphia Personal Injury lawyers
The Philadelphia personal injury lawyers at Messa & Associates are experienced at handling personal injury cases involving serious injuries resulting from fires, burns and explosions. Our extremely skilled team of personal injury lawyers and medical experts is dedicated to ensuring you receive proper compensation for your personal injuries. If you or a loved one have been injured in an explosion or fire, or have endured any other type of personal injury, contact the personal injury attorneys of Messa & Associates for a free consultation. Call toll free at 1-877-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry.
