READING, Pa. — Smoke rising over the 700 block of North 10th Street brought neighbors outside Friday night and sent Dalida Martínez rushing toward her daughter’s home.
“I was working and they called me that the block of my daughter’s house was on fire,” Martínez said.
Dalida says her daughter wasn’t home, but two dogs and a cat were inside. She says all three pets made it out.
Fire officials say crews arrived to find heavy fire behind 708 and 710 North 10th Street. Flames were spreading into the buildings and up to the roof.
Buildings from 702 through 714 are damaged or affected, with utilities shut off.
Feliciana Rosario was heading home when the fire happened.
“It was terrible. I saw it from behind. It was burning,” Rosario said.
The fire department says 28 adults and four children cannot return to their homes at this point. As the response stretched into the evening, fresh crews were brought in to relieve firefighters.
Ramón Vasquez recognized some of the homes affected and the store where he regularly shops.
“I was really happy when the firemen came to do their job,” Vasquez said.
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