By Jeff Goldman
nj.com
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Atlantic City firefighters and police officers rescued 10 people during a fast-moving fire that consumed six row houses Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
Three people were injured after the blaze broke out around 1 p.m. on Belfield Avenue, but their injuries are not believed to be serious thanks to the fast response of city firefighters, Atlantic City Fire Chief Scott Evans said.
A city spokesman said the fire is considered suspicious, though no cause has been determined.
Atlantic City police officers rescued five people before firefighters arrived and went to work, Evans said.
“They ran into rooms full of fire and smoke to pull out occupants,” Evans told the city council at a meeting Wednesday night. “The flames, the fire that was coming out of the center unit spread so fast and spread from one end to the other end of these row houses. It just went up like a tinderbox.”
Evans called the efforts of his firefighters heroic as people trapped inside called and yelled for help during frantic rescues.
“The effort the chief and commanders put into to rescue people, I’ve never seen anything like it in my 36 years,” Evans said. “And we can be very proud of the men and women of the Atlantic City Fire Department that got everyone out safely.”
Firefighters from Ventnor, Pleasantville and Absecon assisted the 45 Atlantic City firefighters who responded to the blaze.
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