Current:Home > MarketsMultiple people, including children, unaccounted for after fire at Pennsylvania home where police officers were shot -Legacy Profit Partners
Multiple people, including children, unaccounted for after fire at Pennsylvania home where police officers were shot
View
Date:2025-04-19 11:24:14
Multiple people, including children, were unaccounted for following a house fire and shooting that wounded two police officers Wednesday at a suburban Philadelphia home, authorities said.
Officers from East Lansdowne, Lansdowne, and Upper Darby responded to a 911 call reporting that an 11-year-old girl had been shot Wednesday afternoon, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said. After arriving at a house in East Lansdowne, about 5 miles west of downtown Philadelphia, Stollsteimer said officers "immediately" came under gunfire from the property.
Two officers were injured, including one who was shot in the arm and other in the leg, officials said. Stollsteimer declined to identify the officers, citing privacy, but said they worked for the East Lansdowne and Lansdowne departments.
The three-story house was then set on fire by an "individual inside," he said. Large flames were seen rising from the roof and top floor of the property before spreading to the lower levels, gutting the structure.
Stollsteimer said later Wednesday that authorities have locked down the scene but are waiting for the fire to be extinguished for further investigation. He later added that six to eight people, including children, were unaccounted for.
"I will say with a heavy heart that we are afraid there might be more than one person in that house," Stollsteimer said during a news conference Wednesday evening. "We know the victim's family had a lot of people living in that house, including children."
"It is our terrible fear that they may (have been) inside that house when it was burned," he added. "We are hopeful that that is not true, but we will not know until tomorrow morning."
Developing into the evening.For more updates, sign up for the USA TODAY Evening Briefing newsletter.
'We don’t know their status'
By Wednesday evening, Stollsteimer said the fire had smoldered and smoke was still rising from the wreckage as firefighters worked the scene. The side of a neighboring home was also charred and the entire block was evacuated, according to the district attorney.
There was no immediate information on the conditions of the individuals who may have been inside the home, including the child who was reported wounded. The whereabouts of the person who fired at the officers also weren’t clear, but Sollsteimer said there were "no threats to the community from that house."
"We don’t know who was in the house, we don’t know who the shooter was, we don’t know how many people are in there, we don’t know their status, we don’t know if they’re alive," Stollsteimer said.
Authorities said they would search the home Thursday once the fire was cleared.
Contributing: The Associated Press
veryGood! (5929)
Related
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Police identify 7-year-old child killed in North Carolina weekend shooting
- John Krasinski Reveals Wife Emily Blunt's Hilarious Response to His Sexiest Man Alive Title
- Why Officials Believe a Missing Kayaker Faked His Own Death and Ran Off to Europe
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Why Officials Believe a Missing Kayaker Faked His Own Death and Ran Off to Europe
- Caitlin Clark has one goal for her LPGA pro-am debut: Don't hit anyone with a golf ball
- Republican Vos reelected as Wisconsin Assembly speaker despite losing seats, fights with Trump
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Duke basketball vs Kentucky live updates: Highlights, scores, updates from Champions Classic
Ranking
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Stock market today: Asian stocks dip as Wall Street momentum slows with cooling Trump trade
- Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper Prove They're Going Strong With Twinning Looks on NYC Date
- Trump’s economic agenda for his second term is clouding the outlook for mortgage rates
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Oprah Winfrey denies being paid $1M for Kamala Harris rally: 'I was not paid a dime'
- Father, 5 children hurt in propane tank explosion while getting toys: 'Devastating accident'
- Trump’s economic agenda for his second term is clouding the outlook for mortgage rates
Recommendation
The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
What are the best financial advising companies? Help USA TODAY rank the top U.S. firms
After entire police force resigns in small Oklahoma town, chief blames leaders, budget cuts
Nevada Democrats keep legislative control but fall short of veto-proof supermajority
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
Roster limits in college small sports put athletes on chopping block while coaches look for answers
As CFP rankings punish SEC teams, do we smell bias against this proud and mighty league?
Mike Tyson impresses crowd during workout ahead of Jake Paul fight