By Nick Falsone
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Two firefighters were injured in a Wednesday morning blaze that damaged three Bethlehem homes, the city’s fire chief reported.
The fire broke out about 8 a.m. inside an attached home in the first block of West North Street, and firefighters were met with challenging conditions.
Crews “found heavy fire on multiple floors of the structure,” Michael C. Reich, the city’s fire chief and emergency management coordinator, said in a news release. “Strong winds pushed the fire through the original residence and into the attached home. Wind-driven flames venting from the structure caught the exterior of the adjacent home on fire as well.”
The Lehigh Valley was under a wind advisory set to expire at 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service , which anticipated gusts of up to 50 mph.
Reich said three total residences were affected by the fire. Those home at the time it broke out were all able to escape safely, the chief said.
The firefighters who were injured — one who suffered minor burns and the other hurt from a fall — were taken to an area hospital, treated and have since been released, Reich said.
The fire rose to three alarms, meaning neighboring Allentown Fire Department responded to Bethlehem to cover any additional emergencies. Other agencies also assisted.
An investigation showed the fire to be accidental, although the release did not specify the exact cause.
The American Red Cross was assisting displaced residents, but it was not immediately clear how many were displaced and how long they’ll be out of their homes.
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