Fire tears through 5 homes, displaces 13 in Bristol, Bucks County

BRISTOL, Pa. (WPVI) -- Over a dozen people were displaced after a fire destroyed five homes in Bristol Borough on Friday morning, drawing about 100 firefighters and prompting a second alarm response.

The fire was reported around 9:45 a.m. on the 300 block of Garfield Street. According to officials, the bulk of the fire was located at the rear of the homes when crews arrived.

Deputy Fire Chief AJ DeAngelis said fire apparatus and command staff arrived within five minutes of the initial dispatch and immediately struck a second alarm because of the fire conditions.

"At the height of the fire, we probably had about 100 firefighters here," DeAngelis said. He described the response as "very labor-intensive" because of the construction of the homes. Officials said crews brought the fire under control in about an hour and a half.

DeAngelis said the holiday weekend likely contributed both to residents being home and to additional firefighter availability.

"Especially this time of day, 9:45 on a holiday weekend, we do have people that are home from work, they had off work today, so they were in their houses when the fire was reported," he said. "Also, being a holiday weekend, we had more firefighters around right off the bat, so that helped me immensely at the beginning of the fire."

Some residents questioned the timeline of the firefighting effort. DeAngelis addressed those concerns, saying, "It's a misconception, the fire department was here within five minutes of original dispatch."

He added, "It just seems like a lifetime when your whole house, your whole life is burning up in front of you."

Neighbor Nick Tryon said he initially thought his wife was in danger when he heard her screams outside.

"I just heard her screaming out back, and I thought that somebody was assaulting her. I ran out the back door, and the next thing I know, I felt like my hair was on fire," Tryon said.

Tryon, who said he has lived in the area with his wife and son for three years, said the emotional impact has been especially difficult for his family.

"The hardest part of all of this is how do you explain to a nonverbal child that everything he loves and everything he holds dear in this world just burnt to a crisp, and I can't say it to him in words," Tryon said. "You just have to deal with how to deal with the pain."

"He's everything to me, so the fact that he's out, that's all that matters," he added. "But now we gotta begin to rebuild his soul again, and it's not gonna be easy."

Resident Kathy Cochran said neighbors acted quickly to alert others.

"(One man had) seen smoke coming from out back and started to go down the line and just knock on people's doors to get out. One lady ran in to get her dog," Cochran said.

"I'm just glad everyone got out safe, and there were no injuries - we're here for the people so we'll be supportive for whatever they need," she added.

No residents were injured. One firefighter suffered minor smoke inhalation, but officials said the firefighter continued working and is expected to recover.

The American Red Cross is assisting displaced residents. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.