No one was injured, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Fire Chief Brian Rooney said the wind whipped up the fire "real fast," sending flames up the back of the house that jumped to the attic and quickly engulfed the upper floors.

About 15 minutes into fighting the fire, a department supervisor ordered firefighters to evacuate the home, fearing the structure might collapse. The firefighters evacuated safely as the fire continued to burn out of control.

The second- and third-floor apartments of the white, three-family home were reduced to a blackened, burned-out shell.

The first floor suffered mostly water damage.

An insurance investigator at the scene said the house is owned by a city man, though information on him was not immediately available.

Rooney said Deputy Fire Marshal William Cosgrove is investigating. Cosgrove could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

The tenants were relocated to temporary lodgings by the mid-Fairfield County American Red Cross, said Ramon Jimenez, the agency's emergency response director.

They were given extra clothing money for winter necessities such as coats, Jimenez said.

Six engine companies, three ladder companies and a rescue truck company responded to the blaze. Fairfield and Stratford firefighters covered several city fire stations.

Mayor John M. Fabrizi, a city building inspector and utility workers were also at the scene.

After Wednesday's fire, the local Red Cross' emergency funding budget is almost empty, Jimenez said.

To make a donation to the Red Cross, call 1-800-319-9935, or send a check to the Red Cross, 158 Brooklawn Ave., Bridgeport, CT 06604.

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Photos by Firefighter Glenn Duda
Written by Connecticut Post