1 dead in East Germantown house fire

One person was found dead after a fire at an East Germantown home.

Crews were called to the house on the 800 block of East Chelten Avenue shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday.

A man, who was not immediately identified, was found dead on the second floor of the three-story building, said Capt. Clifford Gilliam, a Philadelphia Fire Department spokesman.

It took crews 13 minutes to extinguish the blaze, Gilliam said.

Fire officials said smoke alarms alerted residents to the fire and three people were able to escape the burning home unharmed. The Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania said it is helping those three displaced residents.

Four police officers, who tried to extinguish the blaze before fire crews arrived, suffered minor injuries, fire officials said. They were taken to a hospital for observation, Gilliam said.

The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known and the fire marshal's office is continuing to investigate.