NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Five people were left without a place to live after a fire spread through multiple buildings located in a St. Claude neighborhood Saturday evening (Oct. 16).
According to the New Orleans Fire Department, firefighters were called to an active fire at 1629 Franklin Avenue around 6:22 p.m. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found a one-story appliance repair shop with heavy smoke and fire coming from the attic. The NOFD says that the fire quickly spread to two other single-story wood-framed doubles nearby.
Due to the heavy smoke and blazing flames, a second alarm was called shortly after. After the arrival of the second group of firefighters, a third alarm was requested to fight the flames. The fire was brought under control after two hours when the initial call was received.
It took 19 fire trucks and 68 firefighters to extinguish the fire. The NOFD says that there were no injuries reported. Although there were no injuries, officials say that the fire left 5 people without a home.
The appliance shop at 1629 Franklin Avenue sustained heavy fire damage. The other
two homes sustained moderate fire, smoke, and water damage according to the NOFD. The NOPD and Entergy assisted in the mitigation of this incident. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.