Fire crews arrived around 5 a.m. to heavy fire coming from the second floor of a three-story building. It spread quickly to the third floor and neighboring residences, Crispen said.
“Both buildings are wood-framed abutted against each other, so the fire moved very rapidly,” he said.
“The building being under construction may have led to the fire getting more advanced than normal,” he said. “Uncovered walls, active plumbing and electrical work being done can pose a lot of danger to our firefighters.”
Two three-story residences directly to the fire’s right and left were evacuated and sustained damage as fire crews had to break open their wooden walls to identify fire expansion. The fire spread significantly into the building to the left, and slightly into the one on the right, Crispen said.
Four people were displaced.
The department’s arson unit is investigating the fire, but the cause is still unknown.