Victim of Reading home fire dies of injuries

Nov. 4—An autopsy was performed Thursday on a man who was pulled by firefighters from the second floor of a burning row home last weekend and later died in Reading Hospital, the Berks County coroner's office said Friday.

Joshua Morganti, 24, was pronounced dead by a hospital physician in the emergency department Sunday morning, a day after the fire in the 200 block of Schuylkill Avenue, officials said.

Further tests were ordered, but all indications are that Morganti died of injuries suffered in the fire, Assistant Chief Deputy Coroner Debra Detweiler said.

Firefighters found Morganti in the hallway near the servant staircase adjacent to the kitchen, where the fire started, in the large middle-of-row home after responding to a 9-1-1 call from the residence shortly before 4 a.m. Saturday. Crews arrived within three minutes of the call, but the fire, which started in the kitchen when a pan of oil ignited while it was not being attended, got a jump start due to the residents attempting to put out the flames themselves instead of calling 911 right away and getting out, city Fire Marshal Jeremy Searfoss said Friday.

Someone tried to douse the flames with water, which only helped spread the flames, Searfoss said, adding the water should never be used to put out a grease fire.

Morganti's girlfriend, whose name wasn't release, jumped from a second-floor rear bedroom window into the backyard before firefighters arrived, Searfoss said. She became trapped in the yard, which had no access to an alley, and was helped out by firefighters. The women, whose name wasn't provided, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Reading Hospital where she was treated and released, the fire marshal said.

Searfoss said the couple apparently became distracted and left the kitchen without turning off the stove. There were no working smoke detectors that would have alerted them of the fire earlier.

Suburban crews on mutual aid assignments responded to a second alarm that was struck due to the extent of the fire, which displaced at least two people.

It took firefighters about 30 minutes to control the blaze, which caused significant damage to the fire building and radiant heat damage to the two adjoining homes.

If a home fire breaks out, Searfoss said those inside should immediately get out and call for help.

"When you consider the fire doubles in size every minute, every minute matters," Searfoss said.

Families should have and practice an escape plan that includes a pre-determined gathering spot near the home where residents will go after escaping a fire to make sure everyone is accounted for.

With the resetting of clocks this weekend to Daylight Savings Time, Searfoss said its a good time to check out your smoke alarms and change the batteries, if they're battery-powered.