12 people displaced, crews battled 4-house fire on 600 block of Philadelphia St. in York

A structural fire erupted along the 600 block of East Philadelphia Street in York on Saturday. 

The fire began around 1:50 p.m. near a 3-story house. Multiple crews worked to extinguish the fire, which spread to four row homes from 628 to 636 E. Philadelphia St. 

"My sister was the one who called me," Marilyn Rodriquez, one of the residents who have been displaced in the fire, said. Rodriquez, who lives at 628 E. Philadelphia St., was not home when the fire started -- only her dog, Princess. 

Crews were able to rescue Princess. 

"It was scary," she said. 

"It started four houses down, supposedly as an electrical fire outside," Jennifer Melendez, 31, said. Melendez lives in one of the two apartments in the corner building at 636 E. Philadelphia Street. 

"With the wind it caught the abandoned house next door," she said. Melendez said her grandmother, who was outside at the time the fire started, noticed smoke and alerted authorities. Melendez said no one else was in the building at the time. She has lived there since 2011. 

The south central Pa chapter of Red Cross is providing services for the displaced families. 

Mayor Michael Helfrich was on scene speaking with residents. "Glad everyone is safe," he said.

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York City Fire Chief Chad Deardorff confirmed that 10 adults, 2 children and one dog have been displaced. Two residents were inside at the time of the fire, but were able to vacate the buildings unharmed. No injuries have been reported. 

Deardorff did not have information on the cause of the fire at this time. The fire caused an estimated $510,000 worth of damage to the properties. 

About 75 firefights responded to the third-alarm fire with crews from York City, Manchester Borough, West York, West Manchester and Dover responding, he said. 

This is a developing story check back for details. 

Neil Strebig is a journalist for the York Daily Record and curator for the York on the Move newsletter. He can be reached at nstrebig@ydr.com, 717-825-6582 or via Twitter @neilStrebig. 

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