Fire damages five homes, displaces 25, in Allentown

ALLENTOWN, Pa — At least five homes were damaged Sunday when a fire broke out in rowhomes in the 400 block of North 16th Street in Allentown.

A 911 call reporting a fire at 421 N. 16th St. came in at 11:19 a.m., Assistant Chief Michael Zellin said.

En route, responding units saw a column of smoke rising from the area, which led the fire department battalion commander in charge to declare a “working fire" and call a second alarm.

According to a statement from City of Allentown spokeswoman Genesis Ortega, four homes were in flames when first responders arrived and the fire took about 40 minutes to contain.

The blaze started outside, behind the rowhomes on 16th Street, Zellin said, before spreading into the buildings.

It was not immediately clear what ignited the fire.

Fire officials began a preliminary investigation Sunday afternoon that was expected to wrap up by Sunday evening. Work to determine the fire's cause was still underway Monday.

No one was injured as a result of the fire, Zellin said.

Five homes are uninhabitable because of fire damage, fire officials said; according to Ortega, have been displaced. 11 of those people are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross.

Sunday’s fire was at least the third in the past year to spread to multiple rowhouses in the city.

In October, one woman was killed, two other people were injured and 12 homes were damaged when part of the 900 block of North Penn Street burned.

Four homes were destroyed and 36 people were displaced at the end of April when a fire tore through a section of North Seventh Street.

Earlier this month, firefighters also battled a three-alarm blaze that tore through a residential building near 12th and Hamilton streets on a sweltering afternoon.

The fire at 1138 Hamilton Street drew a large response by firefighters and rescue crews in scorching heat.

That building contained six apartments and the fire displaced almost two dozen people, including several children.

The Hamilton Street Fire Fund is being run by the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, the local Salvation Army chapter, Community Action Lehigh Valley, and River Crossings YMCA.

Those organizations say they will work to give long-term assistance to families affected by the fire.