Twin Toddlers Rescued from Burning Home in Norristown

OUTSIDE PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Norristown Fire Department responded to a report of a building fire just before 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 21.

On the scene at the 100 block of East Marshall Street, firefighters witnessed smoke coming from the rear of the building and forced entry, finding two small children trapped inside, according to the Norristown Fire Department's website.

Witnesses on the scene at the time say the children emerged from the home seemingly unharmed, but Norristown Fire Chief Thomas O'Donnell told The Times Herald that paramedics had determined the children suffered injuries consistent with smoke inhalation, including "thermal burns to the esophagus." The children were taken by helicopter to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for treatment.

Chief O'Donnell told the Herald that the fire seems to have begun because of an unattended lit burner on a stove in the apartment, but an investigation into the cause is ongoing.

The children were reportedly home alone at the time the fire started and authorities are investigating the incident.