7-year-old fire victim dies

A 7-year-old girl on life support after being rescued from a burning home in Southwest Philadelphia has died from her injuries, according to Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers.

Firefighters found Raquibah Jeffries in a second-floor bathroom on the 6500 block of Windsor Avenue about 5:40 a.m. Saturday. She and two other children injured in the incident were transported to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The Fire Department at 6 a.m. Sunday was notified that Raquibah was taken off life support. The other two children were treated and released, according to Ayers. Six people, including the three children, were inside the home when the fire began, Ayers said.

An adult male who was awakened by the fire had removed a mattress from the home and then reentered to rescue two of the three children, according to Ayers. He said everyone was out of the home when firefighters arrived except Raquibah, who was seeking relief from the heat and smoke in the second-floor bathroom. She was injured by the heat and smoke, Ayers said.

Raquibah's mother was not home at the time of the incident, according to Ayers. The home had working smoke alarms.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Sunday evening. The incident marked the city's 15th fire fatality of 2013. There were 16 fire fatalities at this point one year ago, Ayers said.

The fire commissioner said the fatalities underscore the importance of having working smoke detectors and families having a fire escape plan.

The Red Cross was providing the Windsor Avenue family with financial assistance.