Three firefighters were hospitalized and at least two homes were destroyed as fire engulfed homes in Mount Holly Sunday afternoon.
Firefighters received a call around 4:20 p.m. about a fire at a single-family home on Cherry Street with possible children trapped, Craig Farnsworth, fire chief of Westampton Township, said.
When first responders arrived one home was engulfed in flames and a search determined the children were not home, Farnsworth said.
Two homes next to the home the fire started in also caught fire as the blaze became a four-alarm fire. Police evacuated residents from those homes before the fires spread out of control.
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Two of the cherry Street homes were left inhabitable, while the other was damaged but potentially not destroyed, Farnsworth said.
Three firefighters were transported to the hospital with minor injuries due to the fires. Farnsworth said they had all been released from the hospital by Monday morning.
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Farnsworth said they fire could have been much worse if not for the quick-actions of firefighters, EMTs and police officers.
"They did an amazing job, with the heat," Farnsworth said. "They worked extremely hard to make sure the children were out of the house and try to stop the fire from advancing to any additional houses. It's absolutely a team effort."
The fire remained under investigation by the Burlington County Fire Marshal's Office.
