Residents of a two-family home have been displaced after a two-alarm fire on Laurel Street and Manchester late Friday night.
A mother, 43, and her two daughters, 11 and 18 years old, were home at 77 Laurel Street when she heard "popping noises" coming from the basement, according to the Manchester fire officials. When she went to check it out, she saw there was smoke. She, her two daughters and their dogs got out of the house safely and called 911 at about 10:50 p.m.
Firefighters arrived minutes later to find smoke coming from the basement, first floor windows and front door. The basement and first floor of the family's unit were engulfed in heavy smoke and flames and the fire was spreading "upwards inside the wall spaces," according to the fire department.
The other unit in the house, 75 Laurel Street, was unoccupied at the time of the fire. Firefighters sprayed water from hoses onto the blaze and put out flames in the walls and ceilings, getting it under control by 11:19 p.m. and fully extinguishing it by 12:18 a.m. Saturday.
A second alarm was raised to call in more firefighters when crews found that many "modifications" had been made to the building structure "that made it more difficult to locate and extinguish hidden pockets of fire," Manchester firefighters said. East Hartford firefighter also responded.
The fire severely damaged the basement and first floor and the second floor and attic had smoke damage, leaving the home "uninhabitable," according to Manchester firefighters.
There were no working smoke detectors in the home when the fire happened, fire officials said.
The American Red Cross and Manchester Department of Human Services are assisting the residents displaced.
The cause of the fire is unknown and the fire marshal is investigating.
