Brush fire quickly erupts into 3-alarm blaze in Roxborough

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A brush fire quickly evolved into a 3-alarm blaze in Philadelphia on Monday, prompting dozens of emergency crews to respond.

The flames started just after noon on the 200 block of Port Royal Avenue in Roxborough.

Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner Derek Bowmer said by 12:15 p.m., crews received multiple calls for smoke in the area.

Authorities say the blaze began as a brush fire, but by 2:45 p.m. it had spread significantly.

It was placed under control around 5 p.m., according to officials.

Action News was told roughly 120 firefighters were on the scene, fighting the flames for nearly five hours.

Firefighters said strong winds made conditions difficult to battle the blaze.

"We immediately went all hands on deck. As you know, today is 40 mph gusts, winds, no rain. We were already behind this fire," said Bowmer. "As you see, hills, a lot of dense trees, a lot of water problems. There's not many hydrants here."

Due to the lack of hydrants in the area, authorities say firefighters had to run hoses through people's yards.

The fire spread to one home, according to emergency crews. Thankfully, crews said the damage was not significant.

"We did have one structure that was compromised. Again, we were able to put water on the fire, not too much damage. Some minor damage to that structure." said Bowmer.

No evacuations were needed.

Two firefighters were injured and transported to a local hospital during this incident. Both are expected to be OK, officials say.

No further details have been released. There is no word yet on what may have sparked the initial fire.

An investigation into this incident is now underway.