People gathered to take pictures throughout the day on Tuesday of the building burned in a fire early Monday morning at 52nd and Locust. Fearing that the building may collapse, police closed nearby streets.

Streets around the burned out building at 52nd and Locust have been closed out of fear that the building, which is sheathed in a thick layer of ice, may collapse.

Police have blocked 52nd Street between Spruce and Walnut, Locust Street near the building and some smaller side streets. The building has become somewhat of a local attraction with people filing by on the closed streets to take photos of structure and television news crews posting nearby on Tuesday.

As was reported earlier today, flames engulfed the Locust Medical Center building at the corner of 52nd and Locust Streets early this morning, shortly before 5 a.m. Fire crews had to battle the fire and tough weather conditions – strong wind and extremely low temperatures. The fire was put out around 6:30 a.m., but due to freezing temperatures the water quickly turned into ice. (Photos by @nazerbangs).

Locust Medical Center last year (Google Street View).

Fire crews were battling an intense fire early Monday morning inside the three-story Locust Medical Center building located at 249 S. 52nd Street (see video below). The fire broke out around 4:45 a.m. and was brought under control around 6:30 a.m., according to reports. The building reportedly houses a pharmacy and several doctors’ offices. No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

UPDATE (9:55 p.m.): NBC Philadelphia is reporting that one person was hurt in the fire on the 4700 block of Cedar. His or her condition is currently unknown.

UPDATE (8:29 p.m.): The fire is under control. It appears that the fire heavily damaged the home’s interior. Neighbors say an elderly man lives alone in the home. He reportedly wasn’t home when the fire began. We’ll keep you updated.

8:05 p.m.: Fire crews are battling a fire at 4729 Cedar Avenue, a twin home. The fire broke out at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Photo by David Poplar.

A fire and gas leak were recently reported in two separate incidents within one-block radius.

The residents of Garden Court Apartments at 47th and Pine were temporarily evacuated Thursday night due to a fire in one of the apartments, according to reader reports. The fire was reported at around 7:20 p.m. Fire crews put out the fire, and most of the building’s residents were allowed back in the building an hour later. It’s not known what caused the fire.

A gas leak was reported early Friday morning, around 1 a.m., on the 4600 block of Spruce Street. A pregnant woman was taken to the hospital and several others were evacuated from a house with apartment units where the gas leak occurred. The pregnant woman was taken to the hospital for evaluation. PGW was on the scene to repair the leak, 6ABC reports.

UPDATE: We’ve just learned of another fundraiser for a family displaced by the fire. They’re currently in a temporary housing and need some funding for a new apartment, clothing, and furniture. Here’s a GoFundMe page to help Marlon and Lulu.

The four-story Westover apartment building at 4730 Pine Street, which was damaged by a fire on Friday, Dec. 19, has been closed for repairs for at least six months, according to building resident Ruth Morgan.

“Everyone is looking for a place to live now,” Morgan posted this morning on our Facebook page.

This afternoon, we spoke to a policeman who was patrolling outside the building, and he confirmed that the section of the Westover Apartments where the fire broke out is now closed. Two adjacent sections of The Westover apartment complex, at 4720 and 4740 Pine St, were not damaged by the fire and are occupied. The Westover Apartments are managed by Campus Apartments.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to the Fire Marshal’s office.

An online fundraising campaign has been going on for two of the building’s residents, who lost all of their belongings in the fire.