A six-alarm fire that destroyed a vacant furniture factory and damaged row homes across the street in Allentown’s riverfront neighborhood has left seven families displaced and a neighborhood reeling Thursday.
John Alvarado, who lives about a block away from the former American Atelier furniture factory at 249 N. Front Street, said he was sitting down for dinner when his power went out Wednesday night. He thought it might have been from a fire that had happened nearby earlier in the day.
But when he went out of the house, he could see flames jumping from the building to the homes across the street.
“I’m thinking ‘Oh my god, what’s going on?” he said.
Alvarado said he heard at least two explosions while crews were fighting the fire. They were there for hours fighting the blaze.
On Thursday morning, he sat outside the wreckage, waiting for his power to be restored. About 600 people remained without power Thursday morning, according to PPL’s outage map.
“It was like they dropped a bomb in there and blew it up,” he said. He wondered what was in the building to cause it to burn like it did.
Alvarado, who’s lived in the area for 50 years, has seen a lot of changes in the neighborhood, and remembered when the factory had several employees.
“This is like the worst now,” he said.
Another neighbor, a 64-year old who declined to give his name, said he saw the flames late Wednesday night as he drove over the Hamilton Street Bridge.
By the time he got to his home a few blocks away, most of the fire was out. Still, firefighters from all over worked into the night to battle the remaining blaze.
“They all worked great together,” he said.
He stood outside the wreckage Thursday morning while PPL crews worked the power lines. He was one of a few hundred without power still.
Massive Allentown fire breaks out at former factory [PHOTOS]
While the blaze was raging Wednesday, some neighbors gathered across the street at Buck Boyle Park. Residents were told to evacuate their homes, and a shelter was set up at Resurrection Life Church on Hamilton Street.
Rafael Ruiz held his chihuahua Leasha as he waited for word Wednesday night that he would be able to go back home. Ruiz, of the 200 block of North Front Street, said he was asleep when he heard someone banging on the door. Firefighters were outside telling everyone to leave.
“I didn’t know what was happening, at first I didn’t think it was real,” Ruiz said. “The power was off and it was very confusing.”
One woman, who declined to give her name, said the heat from the flames could be felt from a block and a half out from the building.
She initially saw the building smoking. She and some of her neighbors, walked over to see what was happening and saw flames shooting from the windows.
“I said, ‘We gotta go,’” she said.
Power went out for her about 8:30 am, but was restored by 1 a.m., she said. She said she was dressed and ready to evacuate all night, but that didn’t end up happening.
On Thursday morning, she was walking around the street, looking at the remnants of the townhomes. She knows some of the residents there.
“It’s a shame,” she said.
This story will be updated.
Laurie Mason Schroeder contributed to this report.
WATCH: Scope of massive Allentown fire seen from multiple angles [VIDEO]