A two-story house collapsed early Wednesday as 60 New Orleans firefighters battled a three-alarm fire that severely damaged nearby homes, the department said.
Firefighters responded to a 911 call about a house fire just after 4 a.m. Wednesday. Once at the scene, the fire crew saw the home had been engulfed in flames, and the fire had begun spreading to nearby residences. That's when the blaze was raised to a two-alarm fire, according to the department.
But as firefighters tried to put out the flames, the fire continued to grow and rage. A third alarm was called nearly 15 minutes after the department received the original call, making it 22 units helping to extinguish the blaze.
The house where the fire originated sustained a high level of damage, and it collapsed shortly after firefighters arrived, the department said. Two nearby buildings, which were occupied, sustained heavy fire damage and were deemed uninhabitable by fire officials. Another building had moderate exterior damage from radiant heat from the fire, according to authorities.
The blaze was finally under control just before 5 a.m., the department said. No one was hurt in the fire, but four people were displaced, and seven people were affected by the incident, officials said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
