Wilmington firefighters responded early Tuesday morning to a reported residential structure fire in the unit block of East 22nd Street. Crews were alerted to the fire at approximately 3:45. Smoke was observed coming from a two-story, middle-of-the-row dwelling upon the arrival of first-due units.
According to Wilmington Fire Department Public Information Officer Battalion Chief Robert Pryor, firefighters began operations immediately. While making entry into the residence, crews located a male occupant suffering from smoke inhalation. Emergency Medical Services personnel, already on scene, began treatment and transported the victim to Christiana Hospital. The individual was reported to be in critical but stable condition at the time of transport.
Firefighters quickly located the seat of the fire in the living room on the first floor of the home. Crews were able to bring the fire under control and contain it to the room of origin. Pryor confirmed that while the remainder of the residence sustained smoke and heat damage, no fire extension was observed beyond the living room.
Additional crews conducted searches of the remainder of the structure as well as adjoining residences. No additional victims were found, and no evidence of fire spread to neighboring properties was discovered. Pryor stated that standard procedures were followed to ensure no fire hazards remained in the affected and adjacent units.
The Wilmington Fire Marshal’s Office is actively investigating the cause and origin of the fire.