Massive fire tears through 3 homes in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Multiple crews braved the torrential rain and high winds to fight a massive house fire that spread to two other homes in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, Sunday evening.
Phoenixville Fire Chief Eamon Brazunas told CBS News Philadelphia a total of 60 firefighters responded to the blaze on Evergreen Lane when calls came in shortly after 8:30 p.m.
Brazunas said the high winds caused significant issues in putting out the fire due to embers landing on surrounding homes. Because of that, additional crews had to respond to two other homes that caught fire resulting in a third alarm being called. The fire was placed under control just after 9:30 p.m. and crews cleared the scene around midnight.
A total of three homes were damaged, with one being a total loss leaving six adults and one child displaced. They are being assisted by the Red Cross.
Medics evaluated two people for smoke inhalation, but no one was taken to the hospital.
"Didn't sleep much last night," neighbor Erin Arena said, clutching her cat, Oliver.
She said she is thankful no one was hurt or killed when the fire engulfed her neighbor's home. On Monday afternoon, she came back to her home to check on her cat.
"It's not easy. It's a sense of shock, and it's my birthday, too, so it's like what's going on?" Arena said.
Sean Geary is Arena's fiancé. The couple says a mom and her two kids lived in the home that was the first to catch fire.
"I actually ran up to the actual house that was on fire first," Geary said. "She had to take her kids through the door that was on fire to get out."
It took firefighters less than an hour to get the blaze under control amid the windy conditions.
"We had a shower of embers for a pretty good period there in the beginning just raining down," Brazunas said.
Phoenixville Fire and the Chester County County Fire Marshal's Office are investigating the cause of the fire. The chief said the focus is on the rear of the home, and the fire is believed to have been accidental.
