Four-alarm fire burns former Flexible Flyer factory

Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the four-alarm fire that burned through the former Flexible Flyer sled factory in North Philadelphia last night.

Dozens of firefighters battled the spectacular blaze in the six-story building, now a warehouse, at Fifth and Ontario Streets for nearly an hour-and-a-half before bringing it under control.

No injuries were reported but residents in nearby homes were briefly evancuated.

Fire officials said the blaze was reported at 10:06 p.m. and quickly climbed to four-alarms.

The plant borders the Amtrak and SEPTA regional rail line to Trenton and New York, making battling the fire even harder.

Fire officials declared the blaze under control around 11:35 p.m.

The Flexible Flyer sled was invented in 1889 by Samuel Leeds Allen, a manufacturer of farm equipment.

A Philadelphia native, Allen built a mansion that still overlooks a sledding hill on Moorestown's Main Street.

After the S.L. Allen Co. was sold in 1969 to a Los Angeles firm, production of the Flexible Flyer moved to Ohio.