Pennsylvania
Christmas Eve fire damages multiple homes in Chester, Delaware County
CHESTER, Pa. (WPVI) — A fire that tore through four rowhomes in Chester on Christmas Eve displaced eight people and killed one cat, officials said.
The fire broke out minutes before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday on the 900 block of West 7th Street, sending flames and smoke billowing into the sky.
Firefighters arriving on scene encountered heavy fire conditions and quickly called for additional help.
No injuries were reported.
“They instantly struck a second alarm which brought the recall of off-duty personnel as well as fire departments from surrounding municipalities,” said Chester Fire Commissioner John-Paul Shirley.
Flames spread from a corner home to three neighboring rowhouses, traveling through the attic space, Shirley said.
“The fire wound up extending into three other row homes through the cockwall space in the attic, it was just a lot of fire and crews had their hands full,” he said.
Shirley said there were no reports of anyone missing and that all residents were accounted for.
Eight people were displaced and are being assisted by the Red Cross.
“It’s horrible to happen anytime but it’s especially horrible you know on the holidays, tomorrow’s Christmas, there might be Christmas presents in the houses that now families aren’t gonna be able to get but we’ll do everything we can to help them out. The most important thing though is that everyone’s OK,” Shirley said.
Neighbors watched the scene unfold as firefighters battled the blaze, which burned through the roofs of at least two homes and caused partial roof collapses, according to Shirley.
Crews remained on scene extinguishing hot spots before going inside to determine whether the buildings are structurally sound.
James Reed, who lives nearby, said he saw the fire rapidly intensify.
“I heard the fire engines coming by, I look out the window I seen that they had a line, look down here and seen smoke and I went in the house put a coat on and by the time I came out it burst into flames. I believe it was like a common roof and just everything went berserk,” Reed said.
Reflecting on other recent tragedies, Reed said the timing made the fire especially difficult to witness.
“It’s terrible I mean, so much has happened this week… State Police getting shot down in Delaware, the thing up in Bristol, it’s always around Christmas Eve… Something always happens. Just have faith in God,” he said.
The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation.
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Counties that used a redesigned envelope for their provisional ballots in 2025 saw rejection rates drop by 11.3% when compared to last year, according to Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt.
The new look adopted by 85% of counties indicates which fields are for voters and which are for election workers, and highlights where voters must sign. The drop from 4.96% to 4.4% doesn’t include the nine counties that didn’t use the new design or Chester County, which had a printing error in November that omitted third-party and independent voters from pollbooks.
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The 11.3% figure is adjusted for voter turnout. More than 7 million Pennsylvanians voted in 2024 – which was a presidential election year – compared to 3.6 million in the 2025 off-year election.
“Our goal remains ensuring every registered voter in our Commonwealth can cast their vote and have it counted in every election,” Schmidt said in a release. “As with the changes to mail ballot materials two years ago, these improvements resulted in more registered voters being able to make their voices heard in November’s election.”
Two years ago, the state conducted a voter education initiative and required counties to preprint the full year of mail ballot return envelopes. Mail ballot instructions and online application materials were also redesigned.
Five counties — Philadelphia, Berks, Butler, Mercer and Greene — worked with the state to craft the new envelopes to be more user friendly for both voters and poll workers.
“The purpose in leading the redesign effort was to reduce errors and have more votes counted, which is exactly what we achieved,” said Omar Sabir, the chair of the Philadelphia City Commissioners. “An 11% decrease in ballot rejections shows the real impact that thoughtful design can have on protecting voting rights across Pennsylvania.”
The nine counties opting out of the new design were: Bedford, Bradford, Crawford, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lackawanna, Lycoming, Monroe and Wyoming.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Tim Lambert for questions: info@penncapital-star.com.
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The Pennsylvania Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 results for each game:
Winning Pick 2 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing
Day: 4-0, Wild: 1
Evening: 3-2, Wild: 3
Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing
Day: 5-0-2, Wild: 1
Evening: 4-2-2, Wild: 3
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing
Day: 3-7-8-3, Wild: 1
Evening: 4-9-2-2, Wild: 3
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing
Day: 8-3-3-5-3, Wild: 1
Evening: 5-7-4-1-7, Wild: 3
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash4Life numbers from Dec. 28 drawing
09-15-24-34-53, Cash Ball: 04
Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing
04-06-18-20-31
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Treasure Hunt numbers from Dec. 28 drawing
04-05-10-26-28
Check Treasure Hunt payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Match 6 Lotto numbers from Dec. 28 drawing
07-08-16-18-27-37
Check Match 6 Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Sign the Ticket: Ensure your ticket has your signature, name, address and phone number on the back.
- Prizes up to $600: Claim at any PA Lottery retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
- Prizes from $600 to $2,500: Use a Claim Form to claim at a retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
- Prizes over $2,500: Mail your signed ticket with a Claim Form or in person at a Lottery Area Office (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
Lottery Headquarters is currently not open to the public. Visit the PA Lottery website for other office locations near you.
When are the Pennsylvania Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: 1:35 p.m. and 6:59 p.m. daily.
- Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
- Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. daily.
- Treasure Hunt: 1:35 p.m. daily.
- Match 6 Lotto: 6:59 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
- Powerball Double Play: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Pennsylvania editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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