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5 Families Left Homeless as Huge Fire Scorches 3 Buildings, Officials Say

By  Trevor Kapp and Aidan Gardiner | July 22, 2016 8:24am 

 The fire started inside 18-11 College Point Blvd and quickly spread to other buildings, officials said.
The fire started inside 18-11 College Point Blvd and quickly spread to other buildings, officials said.
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DNAinfo/Trevor Kapp

COLLEGE POINT — A massive and fast-moving fire swept through three Queens buildings Thursday night, leaving five families homeless, officials said.

The flames erupted inside 18-11 College Point Blvd., near 18th Avenue, about 9:51 p.m. and quickly intensified, scorching two buildings to its right and requiring more and more firefighters, an FDNY spokesman said.

"There was a lot of smoke and a lot of crackling and popping noises. The flames were way up, about 5-feet high. It was thick smoke. It went up so quickly," said neighbor Michelle Heinemann, 53.

"The wind was pushing the fire to the other buildings. Firefighters were on scene trying to put it out, but they were struggling," Heinemann added.

By just after midnight, about 198 FDNY personnel were battling the flames, the spokesman added.

"The firefighters acted really fast. They had three ladders up. They were using a bunch of hoses. They were using water from all the pumps. The flames were getting smaller, but it was really hot and windy," said Andrea Saavedra, 38, who lives in the area.

They finally got it under control about 1:36 a.m., officials said.

Five families were left homeless and turned to the Red Cross for help, a spokesman for the organization said.

Nine firefighters were treated for injuries at area hospitals, an FDNY spokesman said. Those injuries were considered "non-serious," he added.

Fire marshals will determine what sparked the fire, officials said.