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Joyce M Craig-Lewis

Firefighter

Firefighter Craig-Lewis and members of her fire department were dispatched to a fire in a residential occupancy. Firefighter Craig-Lewis and her crew were advancing a hoseline into the basement of the structure when fire conditions changed rapidly.

Firefighter Craig-Lewis was trapped in the building. She was rescued by other firefighters but suffered fatal burns.

Firefighter Craig-Lewis was the first female firefighter to be killed in the line of duty for the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Incident Location: 1600 Middleton St, Philadelphia, PA 19138 (USNG: 18T VK 8661 3431)

photo of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
Joyce M Craig-Lewis was honored on the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland and was included in the USFA’s annual report Firefighter Fatalities in the United States.

Department information

Philadelphia Fire Department
240 Spring Garden Street
U.S. National Grid: 18S VK 8778 2339
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19123

Chief: Derrick J. V. Sawyer

Age: 36
Rank: Firefighter
Classification: Career
Incident date: December 9, 2014 02:49
Date of death: December 9, 2014
Cause of fatal injury: Caught or Trapped
Nature of fatal injury: Burns
Activity type: Advance Hose Lines/Fire Attack (includes Wildland)
Emergency duty: Yes
Duty type: On-Scene Fire
Fixed property use: Residential

Last updated: July 25, 2016