160 firefighters respond to West Philly apartment blaze

Greg Heller's apartment was more than a place to live. For Heller, a 24-year-old documentary filmmaker, the fourth-floor apartment was also the office where he edited video, kept his equipment, and stored the footage that eventually became movies.

On Monday afternoon, after a neighbor had pounded on his door and alerted him to fire alarms blaring in the hallway, Heller stood on the street, watched flames shoot from the top of the West Philadelphia building, and realized that he might have lost it all.

"It's my work, it's my life," Heller said Monday night, hours after he and the rest of the building's residents were evacuated. "It's not even the cost - it's thousands of hours of work."

More than 160 firefighters battled the five-alarm blaze that raged through the Windermere Court Apartments at 48th and Walnut Streets.

The fire was first reported at 2:35 p.m., said Deputy Fire Chief Willie Williams. Clouds of thick black smoke could be seen from Center City, and hours after the fire started, the orange glow from the top of the building was still visible from blocks away. A third and a fourth alarm were sounded before 3:45 as the fire began to move through the loft and tore through the roof, Williams said. Additional alarms were sounded at 4 and 4:30 p.m., drawing more than 50 pieces of equipment from all corners of the city. The fire was declared under control at 7:25.

Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said that it was a challenge to get some residents out, but that no serious injuries were reported and all residents were accounted for. Late Monday, a fire official said one person was taken to Presbyterian Hospital with smoke inhalation and a city worker was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after falling.

Ayers said it was unclear how the fire started, but it got into the walls and spread upward. Firefighters faced additional challenges due to the frigid temperature and icy streets, Ayers said.

The Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause and checking the building's alarm systems. Firefighters were evacuated from the building for their own safety as the flames spread, and cranes lifted hoses to pour water onto the roof.

Mayor Nutter visited the scene to offer support and said the building's approximately 98 residents range from families with children to students and seniors.

"People are concerned about pets and medicine," Nutter said. "It's just a terrible feeling."