Six missing after fire and shooting at Philadelphia suburb home

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Six people, including children, are unaccounted for after a shooting at a home in suburban Philadelphia led to a massive fire.

On Wednesday afternoon, law enforcement officials in East Lansdowne and Landsdowne, Pennsylvania responded to reports of a shooting involving an 11-year-old girl at a home on Lewis Avenue. Upon arrival, officers faced gunfire.

Two officers were injured, both sustaining gunshot injuries.

Shortly after, the home was set ablaze, seemingly from the inside. Both injured officers were dragged away and the rest of the block was evacuated as the home slowly became engulfed in intense flames.

However, at least six people who could have been inside the home, were unaccounted for, including the 11-year-old who was allegedly shot.

“Our fear is there may be multiple people inside that home who have died," District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said.

Though the fire was under control by 6pm EST, Mr Stollsteimer said they would be unable to search the home until Thursday.

"We don’t know yet whether or not we can confirm or deny that until we get inside and methodically go through the debris that that house is now,” he added.

Mr Stollsteimer said that while the whereabouts of the person who shot at the officers were unknown, there were no threats to the community from that home.

As of Wednesday evening, both injured officers were in stable condition. Mr Stollsteimer said the officers were 22-year veterans of the force. One sustained a gunshot wound to the arm and the other a gunshot wound to the leg.

Timothy Bernhardt, the superintendent of Upper Darby, said when officers from Upper Darby arrived at the scene they were initially to respond to the fire when they rescued the two wounded officers.

“All officers that were on scene initially were taking on fire, and then when they removed themselves from it, there was no more gunfire at that point,” Mr Bernhardt said.

It is unclear if the report of an 11-year-old involved in the shooting was true or if they were inside the home when it was set on fire.