Body of Philly Mother Holding Child Found in Fire

A woman and child were killed in an early-morning fire in North Philadelphia's Fairhill section.

Crews were called to the rowhouse on the 2800 block of North 4th Street just after 3:45 a.m., fire officials said.

Firefighters encountered heavy smoke and flames on the second floor of home, where they found the woman and child.

The mother had gone back into the home to get the child, but the two were unable to escape the blaze, Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer told reporters at the scene.

"She was desperately trying to get out," Sawyer said. He said the woman had the child in her hands when fire crews found them.

Six others, including four children, were being treated for injuries. Their conditions weren't known.

The cause of the blaze, which was declared under control at 4:50 a.m., is under investigation.

Sawyer said at least five portable space heaters were being used in the home. The fire commissioner also said someone in the home tried to put out the blaze on their own.

"Because they were trying to fight the fire, it delayed everyone getting out," Sawyer said.

The deadly blaze came just days after Philadelphia finished 2015 with 12 fire deaths, the lowest total in the city's modern history.

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