A fire spread through five Curtis Bay rowhouses yesterday, seriously damaging three homes and displacing at least five families, according to the Baltimore Fire Department.
The fire was reported about 4:15 p.m. in the 1600 block of Cypress St. in South Baltimore. City firefighters arrived to find three adjoining rowhouses engulfed in "heavy flames and smoke," according to Chief Kevin Cartwright, a Fire Department spokesman.
Firefighters entered one of the burning frame houses in an attempt to extinguish the fire, but the flames grew worse, spreading through a common attic shared by the rowhouses, Cartwright said.
A second alarm was sounded, and the fire was brought under control in about 40 minutes. About 65 firefighters and 25 engines and trucks responded.
Three of the five rowhouses were seriously damaged. No one was injured, but several families were forced from their homes. Cartwright said the city's neighborhood services personnel were assisting five of the families.
Investigators had not yet determined the fire's cause.
Last night, volunteers with the American Red Cross were at the fire scene helping displaced families. In a statement, Red Cross officials said they were providing food, water, clothing, medicine and helping people find a place to stay.
chris.emery@baltsun.com