Firefighters rescued three people and one pet from a three-alarm blaze that broke out at a home under construction and quickly decimated three buildings on Hanover Street in Bridgeport, according to a spokesperson for the city.
Flames ignited Friday morning on the second floor of 350 Hanover Street and quickly spread to three adjacent buildings, the fire department said. City officials said 10-12 families lost their homes as a result.
Dominick Carfi, deputy chief of operations for the Bridgeport Fire Department, said the house was undergoing renovations to repair damage from a previous fire two years ago. Firefighters received reports that construction crews were working at the time the fire broke out.
Homes on Hanover Street were built in close proximity, some only 15 feet apart, and fire officials said intense heat caused the houses next door to auto-ignite.
"The source of the fire was in the basement in that home, and it jumped to the house that was just a few feet apart," said Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch.
The home at 350 Hanover Street had already collapsed by the time crews arrived at the scene, city officials said. Footage from the scene shows only the shell of a home remains.
Video from viewer Marcello Scolari shows massive flames shooting from the roofs and heavy smoke rising into the air.
No injuries have been reported. City leaders are praising firefighters for their hard work.
"One of the most important things that the fire department prevented here was this entire block going up," said Finch. "We're lucky it wasn't worse than it was."
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Firefighters described the scene as a "labor-intensive fire" and said the presence of overhead wires prevented them from being able to use certain equipment. Snowbanks have also narrowed streets in the area.
Volunteers from the American Red Cross are working to help residents who lost everything. An evacuation center has been set up at the Cesar Batalla School on Howard Avenue, where displaced families can go to get help and stay warm.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
