Two more families are homeless tonight after another fire in the heart of the city.
The blaze was set off at No. 12 Vernon Street where in just minutes a fire ripped through a two-storey wooden house. 7NEWS was there before the fire and the police and Keith Swift has the whole story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Our 7NEWS team was first on the scene as plumes of smoke gushed out of this small house on Vernon Street. Fairly quickly, a thick cloud of gray smoke mushroomed over the eastern end of Vernon Street, and soon the entire small structure at number 12 was overtaken by the flames. The blaze grew with fury and while it was becoming a spectacle for onlookers, for the officers first to respond it was quickly becoming dangerous.
Police Officer,
[Directing Traffic] "Everybody please get off the street. Please move down the street. Move out of the way. Please."
And those police officers were directing the crowd; traffic and a constable Crispin Jeffries with the assistance of a onlooker ran into the danger zone to pull out hot dog carts that hold volatile butane tanks inside.
Tense moments followed for those who lived nearby considering that these houses are close together. Minutes later two fire trucks were on the scene. It was more of a formality after this as the flames were quickly extinguished. The fire was out and two families were homeless.
The fire started in the lower flat where 73-year-old Conrad Kelly lives. He was understandably disoriented and erratic on the scene.
Conrad Kelly, Fire Victim
"I was not at home. I left my house from my 5 this morning and I was the street the bar when I heard about the fire. I don't even have electricity not even a flashlight which I could left on so I don't know what started the fire."
"I want to go see what happen but they are not allowing. I live by myself. I don't know what happened I was by the fish market."
There are no complaints today about the fire fighters who responded today. More so there are questions about this fire - the third on the Southside in two days.
Ted Smith, Deputy Fire Chief
"We got the call and we immediately responded. We had three trucks and we contained the fire. We responded with a lot of power - three trucks so we quickly got it under control. As you know the fire is extinguished behind me so we are done."
Keith Swift,
"It's been three fires in two days. This is not normal."
Ted Smith,
"True its not normal but I am unable to say what causing it cause we still haven't established the cause of the first two fires. We should have a cause by tomorrow. And well this one the investigation is just beginning."
Conrad Kelly alone lived in the lower flat while a family of 4 lived in the upper flat. Again an electrical fault is being ruled out as a cause because Kelly did not have electricity.