Fire in Allentown, Pennsylvania, reduces old furniture factory to rubble: "It's like a disaster here"

A massive fire in Allentown, Pennsylvania, that forced nearby residents to evacuate their homes was brought under control after about two hours Wednesday night.

Crews were called to the six-alarm fire at an old furniture factory on the 300 block of North Front Street around 8:45 p.m. Firefighters had to retreat from the building to avoid collapses.

The blaze also spread across the street and damaged seven homes, the heat so intense it melted the siding off buildings.

Residents on the 300 block of Front Street were asked to leave their homes through their backyards and get away from the scene. Others nearby were told to shelter in place Wednesday night.

"It was so crazy that they started telling people to back up, and then it started getting worse," neighbor Damian Velez said. He said his family could see the flames from their home and saw ashes falling from the sky.

"It's like a disaster here, like a war," another neighbor said.

PPL Electric Utilities shut off power in the area, knocking out electricity for over 1,600 customers — as of 5 a.m. that number was down to about 1,000 customers.

"The smoke was so bad that we had to stay somewhere else," said Velez. "It was hard being without power, because you have to charge your phone and charge other things to call people."

One firefighter sustained minor injuries in the incident but is expected to recover.

Firefighters from more than two dozen nearby departments assisted Allentown in the response.

The American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania said it's responding to the fire. Fire officials encouraged displaced residents to reach out to the Red Cross or the Allentown fire marshal's office.

It's unclear how the blaze started.