Philadelphia loses first female firefighter to blaze

By Daniel Kelley PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A Philadelphia firefighter was killed battling an early morning blaze on Tuesday, becoming the city's first female firefighter to die in the line of duty, officials said. Joyce Craig-Lewis, 36 and a decorated 11-year veteran, died battling a basement blaze, they said. Her role fighting the blaze gave other firefighters time to rescue an elderly, frail woman located in another part of the home, the officials said. Basement fires are particularly dangerous because the main entrance, via stairs, acts as a chimney, making entering and exiting extremely hot. Craig-Lewis leaves behind two children, a 16-year-old son and a 16-month-old daughter. Of the roughly 1,800 firefighters in the department, 58 are female. Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer described Craig-Lewis as “a firefighter's firefighter” who had requested a transfer to a busier fire post. "It’s a very sad day for all of us in public service and certainly for all of our citizens," said Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. (Editing by Barbara Goldberg, Bill Trott, Ellen Wulfhorst and Mohammad Zargham)