A spreading house fire in Roselle quickly escalated to five alarms Monday night and left dozens without a place to call home.
"Due to the volume of fire and rapid spread, crews established an exterior attack and began operating multiple hose lines to protect exposures and bring the fire under control," Roselle Fire Chief Christopher Laba told abc7 reporters at the scene.
A firefighter suffered smoke inhalation, but no civilians were hurt.
Residents aren't expected to be able to salvage much from the houses.
Crews were on the scene for more than 10 hours.
"Due to the size and complexity of the fire, the incident is currently under investigation to determine the cause and origin," the fire chief said.
