PHILADELPHIA, PA — A pregnant woman and her two children lost their lives in a house fire that tore through their Philadelphia home early Friday. Authorities believe the fire was deliberately set.
The victims have been identified as Ashley Thompson and her 6-year-old twins, Alayna and Asad. Family members say Thompson was seven months pregnant at the time of the fire, which occurred at their residence in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood.
Neighbors described the fire as spreading rapidly in the early morning hours. “We looked out the window, it was engulfed in flames,” Yessenia Nieves, who lives nearby, told WCAU. The fast-moving fire left little time for escape as residents tried to flee.
During the chaos, the children’s grandmother managed to jump from a window while holding a baby to escape the flames. The grandmother survived the fall but the rest of the family was unable to get out.
Ongoing investigation and family grief
Investigators have taken at least one person into custody for questioning but have not filed any charges. The Philadelphia Fire Department is working with police and federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine how the fire started. Detection dogs and specialized investigative tools are being used at the scene.
Relatives shared their shock and heartbreak following the tragedy. “I couldn’t even imagine who would want to hurt three babies and a pregnant girl,” said Chyna, a family member who also lived in the house. “It don’t even seem real,” she added in an interview with WPVI. “It’s a dream — she’s going to wake up tomorrow and call me.”
Authorities continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the fatal fire as the community mourns the loss of the young family.
Philadelphia investigators are searching for answers after a deadly house fire took the lives of a pregnant mother and her children.