PHILADELPHIA - As investigators work to determine what sparked a Kensington rowhome fire that killed a father and his three children last weekend, Philadelphia is battling a backlog of unfulfilled smoke alarm requests.Yamalier, 5, Yadriel, 9, and 12-year-old Alexangel Arroyo-Santana perished in a rowhome fire early Sunday morning on the 3200 block of Hartville Street in Kensington.
Neighbors say their father, Alexis, also died in the blaze after he told his wife to jump out a window to safety while he went further into the home to save the children. "He had a chance to jump out, but he ended up telling his wife to jump out of the window.
He’ll get the children, so he died a hero," a neighbor who asked to remain anonymous said.Fire investigators have not pinpointed what started the fire, but they said no smoke alarms were sounding when firefighters arrived.
The School District of Philadelphia identified three children killed in a rowhome fire as Yamalier, 5, Yadriel, 9, and 12-year-old Alexangel.