Nine Manchester residents, seven of them under the age of 17, are displaced after a house fire on Orchard Street Saturday afternoon.
Two adult residents were inside the two family home when the fire started around 1:30 p.m. Fire officials say one resident called 911 when she found heavy smoke in the stairway to the attic. She told her neighbor to evacuate and both made it out without injuries.
Firefighters were able to knock the fire down in about fifteen minutes, according to officials. The blaze caused extensive damage in the attic and there is water and smoke damage to the first and second floors.
The Orchard Street and Center Street intersection was shut down while firefighters worked to put out the flames, police said just before 2 p.m.
The Red Cross is assisting residents with temporary shelter.
A cause has not been determined. Fire officials say there were no working smoke detectors in the home.
