Two children killed in Upper Darby rowhome fire

The kids' mother, who jumped from a rear window to safety, was injured. So were two firefighters

Two children were killed in a house fire that broke out in an Upper Darby rowhome on the 300 block of Margate Road on Tuesday morning.
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Update: Five-year-old twin girls died in a house fire in Upper Darby on Tuesday morning, officials said. The girl's mother had surgery on the injuries sustained from jumping out the second-story window, according to media reports.


Two children died in a rowhome fire in Delaware County early Tuesday morning, officials said. 

The home, on the 300 block of Margate Road in Upper Darby, caught fire around 4 a.m., Fire Chief Derrick Sawyer said. 

When firefighters arrived on the scene, the second floor of the home was filled with heavy flames, 6ABC reported.

"The fire was a fast-moving, hot burning fire," but, crews were able to get it under control within about 24 minutes," Sawyer told NBC10.  He said the fire crew made a "valiant effort" to save the children, but it was too late. 

Their mother jumped out of a second-floor, rear window. She was taken to the hospital with injuries. Two firefighters also were injured, FOX29 reported. There has not been an update on any of their conditions. 

Sawyer said he heard a fire alarm coming from the basement of the home, but whether the entire house was equipped with working smoke detectors is unknown.

The cause of the fire also is unknown, and an investigation is underway.