BERWICK, Pa. -- At least a dozen people are now homeless following a fire in Berwick.
Flames engulfed a duplex on East 6th Street on Sunday.
Fire crews cautiously approached the building around 2:30 p.m. as the porch collapsed and electric lines sparked.
"There was flames coming out of everywhere, and then it went over to the next house next door and more flames. They couldn't control it," Colleen Vassallo of Berwick said.
The Berwick fire chief says it started with a kitchen fire. Firefighters were faced with a number of challenges at the scene.
"How close the buildings are, we had two other exposures that was involved, two other buildings. PPL took a little while to get here and kill the power. We did have downed power lines from the residence that were sparking which caused a little delay in us fighting the fire," said Chief Randy Remphrey, Berwick Fire Department.
Neighbors stood in shock as crews struggled for hours to get the flames under control.
Several fire companies from Columbia and Luzerne counties helped fight the flames.
"Everybody worked together. I did have to call in some mutual aid from the surrounding area to help us fight this," said Remphrey.
Remphrey says the families that live in the buildings damaged by the fire are OK and are getting assistance from the Red Cross.