Man critically injured in Delco rowhome fire, officials say

Fire crews pulled a man from a burning home in Chester overnight and, officials said, he has since been hospitalized in critical condition.

According to Chester Fire Commissioner John Paul Shirley, the injured man was pulled from the second floor of a rowhome after fire crews arrived to find the property, along the 200 block of Jeffrey Street in Chester, engulfed in flames at about 2:26 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

At that time, Shirley said, fire crews encountered, what he called “hoarding conditions” inside the home while the victim was trapped on the second floor.

“The challenge with hoarding conditions is that the building is packed with stuff. It’s difficult to move inside,” Shirley said. “It just makes the job ten times harder”

The man was pulled from the burning home by first responders and he was taken to a nearby hospital where, Shirley said, he was hospitalized in critical condition.

Firefighters found “extensive damage throughout the building,” Shirley said, as they continued to fight the flames once the man was pulled from the home.

As of about 4 a.m., the fire had been placed under control, Shirley said.

An investigation into the cause and origin of the fire, he said, was still underway.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.