🌱 Devastating Fairmount Fire + Passyunk Avenue Car Pile Up

Happy Thursday, Philadelphia! Here's everything you need to know about what's happening around Philadelphia today.

First, today's weather:

Cloudy. High: 37 Low: 30.

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Here are the top three stories today in Philadelphia:

1. 13 people are dead, including 7 children, after duplex fire in Fairmount section of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Fire Department responded to a fire at the 800 block of N. 23rd Street at around 7 a.m. Tuesday morning. 18 people lived in a 2nd-floor apartment of the three-story duplex with another eight people living on the first floor, adding to the complexity of the rescue. (WPVI-TV)
2. Up to 20 vehicles were involved in a crash on Passyunk Avenue Bridge in South Philadelphia on Wednesday morning. Icy roads caused by rain and cooler temperatures setting in overnight caused the chaos. There have been no reports of injuries from the incident. (CBS Philly)
3. An actual federally funded coronavirus testing site is expected to open today in South Philadelphia. The FEMA-run testing site will be opening on Thursday morning at the Cibotti Recreation Center. Last week the city warned citizens not to go to unverified testing sites that were falsely claiming to be FEMA. (Philadelphia Patch)

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Today in Philadelphia:

• Three Kings Day Celebration At Concilio (5:30 PM)
• Johnny Gandelsman, Violin At Philadelphia Chamber Music (7:30 PM)
• Emmy Nominated Comedian Kiran Deol At Philly Punchline (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• UPDATE: 8 additional School District of Philadelphia schools will temporarily shift to 100% virtual learning this week. Visit philasd.org/covidupdates for more details. (Facebook)
• Need your booster dose? 💉 Vaccine booster doses are available at sites throughout the city! (Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— Dan Casarella

About me: Dan Casarella is a writer, podcast producer, and small business development specialist who formerly worked in late-night television. He’s produced many talk segments, including with President Joe Biden, Kobe Bryant, and Chadwick Boseman. Dan studied Media Studies and Production at Temple University. He also enjoys running, painting, and the highs and lows of Philadelphia’s sports teams.