4-alarm fire rips through three buildings in Malden, displaces more than a dozen

A fire ripped through a triple-decker home on Porter Street in Malden, Massachusetts, and spread to two other buildings on Friday afternoon. 

At least 15 people and three families were displaced by the fire. 

Fire departments from surrounding communities responded to the four-alarm fire. Firefighters rushed into the building after reports of someone on the third floor. 

"Had heavy fire in the rear porches extending to three-deckers on both sides. Very difficult fire to fight. We did a quick primary search of the building to make sure everybody was out but there was just overlapping fire in the rear of the building. You'll see the rear that burnt the porches right off," Malden Fire Chief Leonard Dunn said. 

Everyone inside the building was able to make it out safely.

"We were in the kitchen eating, I saw the smoke out the window. I'm just worried about my cats," said Lavina Rodrigues, who lives on the second floor of the main building that caught fire. 

Fire officials believe the fire may have started at the back of the triple decker and then quickly spread to two other buildings on either side. 

"I happened to be on my computer. I smelled like burning plastic, so I opened my window and I looked and I just saw the flames coming out the back of the house and I yelled 'everybody out of the house' and called 911," said Donna Sidmore, who lives in the second building that caught fire. 

One firefighter was injured but is expected to recover from the injuries. 

"Tremendous volume of fire in the rear," Dunn said. "These old porches... as soon as they get going, they go up quickly." 

The fire remains under investigation. The Red Cross is assisting the families who have been displaced.