NOFD works five-alarm fire in Treme

FOX 8 WVUE New Orleans News, Weather, Sports

On Friday October 19, at approx.. 4:30pm New Orleans MAB was called to the scene of a 5-alarm fire which spread over a 2 block area and involved several houses. Some were under renovation and some inhabited.

FOX 8 WVUE New Orleans News, Weather, Sports

New Orleans, La. –

Firefighters battled a five-alarm fire Friday afternoon in Treme.

The New Orleans Fire Department says it got the first call at 4:09 p.m. about the fire on N. Robertson Street, between Kerlerec Street and Esplanade Avenue. A tall column of dark smoke could be clearly seen rising from the blaze from as far away as Gert Town.

NOFD says it quickly grew from a two-alarm response to five alarms, a clear indication that authorities are rushing several companies to the scene. They report that the fire apparently started in an abandoned structure there, and people who live in the area say it is an old apartment building.

An NOFD press release reads, “There were a total of eight structures involved in this fire with damages from scorched siding to totally destroyed. The first two houses where the fire started were under renovation and embers spread to several other houses in the neighborhood. Firefighters had to drag heavy fire hoses through narrow alleys and jump fences to fight several fires.”

As of 9:40 p.m. Friday, firefighters were still on the scene monitoring the structures for any possible hot spots.

No injuries have been reported at this point.

Fire officials expect to have an update Saturday.