A building in Gloucester, Massachusetts, that three different families called home caught fire early Saturday, authorities said.
Firefighters arrived at the three-story building on Western Avenue near Burke Playground at about 1:50 a.m. and found the second and third floors engulfed in flames, according to the Gloucester Fire Department. The residents of the building already safely evacuated.
After initially entering the building to extinguish the fire from the inside, firefighters were forced by the severity of the flames to evacuate and fight the fire from the outside, officials said.
The fire became so severe that 20 off-duty Gloucester firefighters were called to help. With the additional help, the fire was under control by 4 a.m., according to the fire department
Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters.
While there were no injuries, at least eight people are now displaced according to authorities, firefighters said.
As for the condition of the 102-year-old home, the building received extensive structural damage, officials said. The siding of the home next to the building also caught fire during the blaze but was extinguished by firefighters soon enough to prevent the fire's spread.
The cause of the fire was still unknown and under investigated, firefighters said.
