Feb. 20--NEW BEDFORD, MA-- Fifteen people were displaced and three were hospitalized, after a raging three-alarm fire Monday afternoon destroyed two residences on Granfield Street, fire officials said.
The first call about the fires at 9 and 11 Granfield St., separated by about two feet, was received about 2:40 p.m. The fire on Granfield Street was close to Coggeshall Street in the city's near North End.
"When I arrived on the scene I had a massive fire. There was fire from top to bottom," said District Fire Chief Scott Kruger. "The thing was roaring from top to bottom. I would be hard-pressed to say another time in my career when a fire moved that fast."
The first responding firefighters searched the buildings to make sure everyone got out safely, he said. No one was found. "Even with all that fire we still had guys in there searching for people," he said.
Two aerial ladder trucks and several fire engines responded initially and a third ladder truck arrived within a few minutes, according to Kruger.
He said massive amounts of water were required to feed the aerial ladder trucks and fire engines to battle the fires to two residences simultaneously. The crew of Engine 1 devised a system to feed two engines at the same time with water from a hydrant, he said.
"Hats off to them for finding a way to do it," he said. "We needed a lot of water."
Fire Chief Michael Gomes said three people were taken to St. Luke's Hospital and a total of 15 tenants have been displaced. He did not know the extent of their injuries. There were no reported injuries to firefighters.
All 38 firefighters on duty Monday afternoon in the City of New Bedford along with 12 firefighters who were called in battled the fire, he said. In addition, Dartmouth Fire District 3 and Dartmouth Fire District 1 and the Fairhaven and Acushnet fire departments covered New Bedford fire stations. American Red Cross representatives were at the fire scene assisting displaced victims.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Gomes said. It started on the exterior of one of the structures and fire investigators are trying to determine the exact cause.
Tenants were rushing out of 11 Granfield St., the larger of the two structures, as the first fire vehicles arrived and firefighters did "a great job" containing the fire, the chief said. The second alarm for the fire was struck immediately. "Thankfully, they were able to contain the fire to the two buildings," he said.
Two people identified themselves as tenants of one of the two properties but declined to speak with The Standard-Times.
The fires raged all afternoon. At 3:39 p.m, several NBFD engines sounded their horns, a signal for all firefighters to clear the buildings. The fire was reported to be out at 6 p.m.
Large crowds watched the fire on Coggeshall Street, which was shut down in the vicinity of the blaze. The fire attracted extensive media coverage from Boston and Providence, R.I., and at one point there were four TV helicopters in the air above the fire scene.
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