Firefighters Battle Three-Alarm Blaze In Jamaica, Queens

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Firefighters were on the scene of a three-alarm blaze in Queens.

The fire erupted around 9:30 a.m. Monday on Liberty Avenue in Jamaica.

Flames could be seen shooting out of two 2-story homes.

Video posted to Instagram shows heavy smoke pouring from the roof of one of the structures.

No one was hurt, but gusty winds helped spread the flames, and at least two families were left homeless.

William Lewis and his sister stepped over charred debris as they carried what's left of their belongings out of the home.

There were few things that didn't burn when the house went up in flames.

Lewis told CBS2's Elise Finch that he was asleep at the time and his dog woke him up.

"The dog started barking, and I looked up and I saw the flames," he said.

Firefighters were able to put the fire out within an hour, but it wasn't easy. They had to contend with massive plumes of smoke driven by wind.

"It pushes the smoke in different directions, in the street,' FDNY Battalion Chief John Donovan explained.

Winds made the fire harder to put out and people nearby worried that the flames would continue to spread to their properties.

"We sell all commercial gas, helium, propane. If the wind shifted anymore, if any embers came across the street, the whole block would have gone up. It would have been a catastrophe," Ronald Ciafardini, Tri-Weld Gases said.

Hours after the fire was knocked down crews were still spraying water on hot spots.

No residents were injured, but six firefighters were treated for minor injuries. Investigators were still trying to determine what started the blaze.

In:
• Fire