United States (North Carolina) - Firefighters went door to door early Monday morning, rousing five residents from their beds as fire burned their apartment building on East Boulevard in Charlotte's Dilworth community. No injuries were reported in the two-alarm blaze, which did an estimated $150,000 damage to a 90-year-old, two-story house in the 300 block of East Boulevard, a short distance east of South Boulevard.

The fire started about 2:30 a.m., and firefighters called a second alarm about 3:10 a.m.

Charlotte fire Capt. Rob Brisley said 44 firefighters were called, and it took them about 25 minutes to bring the blaze under control.

The house had been renovated into four apartment units, and firefighters said they alerted all the residents -- and managed to save two pet cats. East Boulevard was closed for several hours overnight but was reopened shortly after 4:30 a.m.

Fire officials have not released the cause of the blaze, but broadcast reports indicate it apparently started in a fireplace that was being used for the first time this season.

Written by The Charlotte Observer