Fire strikes

A South Marks Street residence was severely damaged early Tuesday morning when fire broke out, forcing two residents to flee the blaze.

District Chief Richard Morden of the Vickers Street Fire Station said it was a tricky fire to fight.

“It was a two-storey home with apartments, and when we pulled up the fire was burning in the back. We called a second alarm. The guys got in and knocked it down. It took awhile to chase it into the walls and into the attic,” Morden said.

The residents, who watched from the street as firefighters battled the flames, left behind a pair of cats, but Morden said both were rescued and are doing OK.

“When we arrived we were informed everyone had gotten out of the house,” he said.

The home appears to have suffered extensive damage in the back, where siding was melted and charred.

Several police officers were patrolling the back lane behind the home, though Morden said it was too soon to say if the fire was suspicious or how it began.