Four people, including two children, died in an early-morning fire that broke out in a rowhome at 5250 Chancellor Street. The children, 2 and 4 years old, died at Children’s Hospital where they were transported with severe burns. The other victims are the children’s mother, 23-year-old Rishya Jenkins and grandfather, Seneca McClendon, 75, a retired postal worker known as Mr. Chuck, Philly.com reports.

The fire was reported about 4:42 a.m. and declared under control at 5:23 a.m. Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said “firefighters found nothing to indicate there were working smoke detectors in the rowhouse.” The fire apparently broke out on the first floor and its cause is under investigation.
 

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West Philly Runners are sponsoring and participating in the annual Cobbs Creek Park race on Saturday, April 21 (see flyer below). This is the official West Philly Runners race, but everyone is invited to join them. This event will also feature a 1 mile walk – a great opportunity for families to get out and explore the park. Click here to register.

Registration fee is $20 and all funds raised from this event will go to benefit kids’ recreational activities in the Cobbs Creek Park. But there’s more to it. Alon Abramson, who organizes West Philly Runners, sent us this information:

“Philly Parks and Rec, the Fairmount Park Conservancy and PA Environmental Council are putting on the ‘Run for the Kids of Cobbs 5K’ race for the 2nd year. The goal of the race is first and foremost to bring people back to the park and encourage some ownership of this shared space. Cobbs Creek sat forgotten and abandoned for years and the city is making a concerted effort to reverse this trend. If you’ve been to the park recently, you will be pleasantly surprised to find it well utilized by the community with picnic areas, and paved and unpaved recreational trails (it is absolutely beautiful). Proceeds from the race go towards outdoor recreational programs for kids in the area. Get people to come to the park and support kids programming…win-win, right?

I am the organizer for West Philly Runners, a local running group, now in our 2nd year. We have been growing alongside this initiative and we have been heavily involved in planning the event from the start. In fact, I created the race website this year (www.cobbscreek5k.com), I am working on promotion and I have been involved in trail work in preparation for the race, which is mostly a trail run. For us, it is THE race of West Philly and thus THE race of the West Philly Runners. I’d love to get the word out to the West Philly community so that runners (and walkers) take advantage of this opportunity to (re)discover this amazing park in our back yards.”

If you have questions about the race or West Philly Runners, you can email Alon at alon.abramson [at] gmail.com

Reader Oxana Miron wanted to make people smile in this cool rainy evening and asked us to post this beautiful photo she took on a very pretty and sunny day around 48th and Osage. Thanks Oxana.

Send your photo of the neighborhood to editor@westphillylocal.com.

Stephan Heuer submitted this photo of a rainy day in West Philly. The photo was taken between 47th and 48th Streets, next to Vietnam Cafe.

Send your photo of the neighborhood to editor@westphillylocal.com. Please don’t forget to include your name and photo’s title or caption.

This week’s featured cat is Juniper. She’s available for adoption through Project Meow and is currently at Baltimore Pet Shoppe (4532 Baltimore Ave). Juniper’s foster mom sometimes calls her Butterball because she has a bright orange silky coat of fur (a rare color for a female), and also because she loves getting tummy rubs and simply melts if someone scratches her behind her ears.

Juniper was living on a lady’s porch since last summer, and she lost her litter of kittens, so she might seem shy and timid at first. But she warms up immediately when someone shows her love and affection. She can often be found snuggled into the massive folds of fluffy blankets, or cozying up against her new parent.

Juniper would really like to find a permanent home with a mommy or daddy that can welcome her into their family, because she so desperately wants to be a part of one! Please email projectmeowadoptions@gmail.com for an application or stop by Baltimore Pet Shoppe to fill one out (and to meet Juniper!).

Reminder: This year’s first GO WEST! Craft Fest will be held on Saturday, April 14, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at The Woodlands (40th & Woodland).

This will be the biggest Craft Fest yet – fifty of Philadelphia’s finest artisans will present their handcrafted wares like jewelry, ceramics, clothing, accessories, home accents, edibles, knitted & crocheted items, cards & paper goods, all-natural soaps & bodycare, terrariums, teas, toys and more. Also, don’t miss live entertainment by Sour Mash, Jay Sand of All Around This World, and TinyCircus by Tangle Movement Arts. Complete details and the list of vendors can be found at: gowestcraftfest.blogspot.com.

Note: The Fest will be on the lawn near the entrance, set apart from the actual cemetery. Rain date – Sunday, April 15.