April 04--A fire in an Upper Darby twin home Tuesday night took the life of 41-year-old Onya Safo and critically burned her 4-year-old daughter.
Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said Officer Montess Trapp was on routine patrol in the 3800 block of Marshall Road about 11:20 p.m. when he saw the house in flames.
"He called it in and ran inside," said Chitwood. "He found the child just inside the front door on the first floor" and carried her out.
The child was hospitalized at Crozer-Chester Medical Center with burns and smoke inhalation.
Upper Darby firefighters responded to the blaze, as did another patrol officer, Kelly Seace. Chitwood said Montess and Seace went back into the home to continue searching but were overcome by flames and smoke. They were taken to Delaware County Memorial Hospital, where they were treated and released.
Firefighters knocked down the fire and eventually discovered Safo on the second floor near a bedroom window, said Chitwood. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The fire gutted Safo's home and damaged the adjacent twin, which has tenants but was not occupied at the time. A woman and three children in the twin on the other side of the blaze were safely evacuated.
Chitwood said all five fire companies in Upper Darby responded. The cause and origin of the fire have yet to be determined. Chitwood said there were no smoke alarms in the house.
Overnight, the injured child's condition was upgraded from critical to serious, he said.
Fire officials were not immediately available for comment.
Contact Michael Matza at 215-854-2541 or [email protected].
Copyright 2012 - The Philadelphia Inquirer
