Charges won't be filed in fire that killed eight

PHILADELPHIA -- No charges will be filed against two sisters who ran an unlicensed boarding house that caught fire in April, killing eight people, prosecutors said.

An investigation found that the house's wiring, overloaded by electric space heaters used by several residents, short-circuited and the ensuing fire spread through the walls. Kerosene heaters further fueled the blaze.

But District Attorney Lynne Abraham said investigators found no recklessness or gross negligence by Cuddlene Ross, the building owner, or Christine Proctor, the building manager.

"We feel tremendously sad over the tragic loss of eight lives but our role is to make sure whether anybody lost their life due to criminally negligent means, and we find that was absent in this case," Abraham said Tuesday. "We leave it to the (victims') families and the survivors to decide whether they wish to seek civil redress."

The fire killed an 11-year-old girl and several elderly and disabled adults. One elderly victim was found fully clothed in bed with his cane across his chest.

Neighbors said the structure, known as Indiana House, housed and cared for elderly and disabled residents for at least 30 years whose families had died or abandoned them. A live-in caretaker cooked meals, bathed residents and dispensed medications.

The April 13 fire took 19 minutes to bring under control, but officials said residents had little chance to escape the three-story brick rowhouse. There were no working fire alarms, hallways were cluttered with trash bags and the house was reconfigured into 28 rooms, hindering rescue efforts.

Of the 11 people at home when the one-alarm blaze broke out, only two adults and a 10-year-old boy survived.