A fire early Saturday destroyed a duplex on the 1000 block of Second Avenue, sending four people to the hospital and leaving nine people homeless. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

A fire early Saturday destroyed a duplex on the 1000 block of Second Avenue, sending four people to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and rendering nine people homeless, according to city Fire Chief Adam Free.

The fire also damaged a duplex on the north side next door and damaged the power line serving the house on the south side, rendering an additional total of seven homeless, until repairs can be made, according to Major Jenn Blessing of the Salvation Army Corps.

The fire probably began in the kitchen of the northernmost unit of the middle duplex, which was fully involved and starting to spread to the other side of the duplex when firefighters arrived within two minutes of the 2 a.m. alarm, Free said.

The blaze was too far advanced to do anything but fight it from outside, and it eventually caused the duplex to collapse, necessitating a call to a demolition contractor, whose excavator operator pulled out burning pieces of wreckage for firefighters to hose down, starting about 5 a.m., Free said.

“We were unable to get the fire out underneath,” he said. “We had to tear down the house to put out the fire.”

At one point, the chimney was unsupported and the hulk had become “a severe safety issue,” he said.

Firefighters conducted an interior attack on the neighboring duplex to the north.

The fire appears to have been accidental, but remains under investigation, Free said.

There were some minor injuries to firefighters, he said.

The duplexes were rentals and so were required to have insurance, Free said.

Monetary damage to the building where the fire started was about $90,000, not counting contents, Free estimated.

Monetary damage to the building to the north of the one where the fire started was about $10,000, Free estimated.

Firefighters were on scene until about 8 a.m.

The people who lived in the northernmost unit of the duplex where the fire began were reportedly able to move in with family, according to Blessing.

The others were expected to take advantage of funding provided by the Red Cross to obtain shelter, she said.

“It’s very unfortunate,” Blessing said. “Especially this time of year.”

There was no meth lab involved, contrary to online rumors, Free said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.