At least three firefighters and two civilians were hospitalized while several families were displaced after a massive fire spread through rowhomes in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Thursday.
The three-alarm fire started around 4:30 p.m. along the 700 block of Cedar Street and spread to multiple homes. Large flames rose from the roof of one of the homes and black smoke billowed throughout the area.
“I’m over here watching everything and Jesus Christ, they could barely stop the fire,” Brian Onofre, a witness, told NBC10. “It was one spot then they would extinguish it. Then it was another spot, extinguished. Another spot. Then it just kept going through the back.”
Nearly 30 firefighters responded to the fire and were eventually able to get the flames under control. Two residents were taken to the hospital and one of the victims is possibly in critical condition, officials said. Three firefighters were also taken to the hospital after suffering minor injuries.
“I was praying to God. I was saying, ‘Lord, please save these people. Don’t let nothing happen to them.’ And yeah, I was just praying,” Onofre said.
Allentown Fire Captain Mike Pychinka told NBC10 Thursday night’s frigid conditions made fighting the fire especially difficult.
