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JACKSONVILLE, FL- A fire started in an abandoned house sparked a blaze that destroyed three houses and damaged two others in the Springfield section of Jacksonville on March 31st.

Shortly after midnight, units from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD) were dispatched to the corner of Liberty and 1st Streets for a report of a house on fire. JFRD Engine 2 arrived on scene and reported that a pair of two-story structures fully involved with fire spreading to a third two-story structure.

Firefighters boldly attempted an aggressive interior attack but were called out as parts of the buildings began to collapse. A 2nd alarm was called to surround and drown the fire, with JFRD Ladder companies using their aerials to douse the fire. The fire eventually went to a third alarm, with over 100 Jacksonville Firefighters responding.

The operation ended a little after 4am, with JFRD units maintaining a fire watch to make sure there was no rekindle. Two buildings were completely destroyed, one suffered severe fire damage, and two others sustained smoke and water damage. Members of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Prevention Division are investigating the blaze.

This was the second multiple alarm fire in less than a year in the Springfield area of Jacksonville, a neighborhood of beautiful two-story Queen Victorian-style homes located just outside of downtown Jacksonville. In June of 2004, two houses were found fully involved upon arrival by JFRD units, leading to a second alarm that injured two Jacksonville Firefighters. In recent years, the neighborhood has been going through a rebirth, with many dilapidated homes being remodeled.

A Jacksonville firefighter who collapsed on scene was treated for exhaustion and later released. A JFRD Rescue Chief was also injured while the car he was responding in was struck at a downtown Jacksonville Intersection.

For more on the Jacksonville Firefighters, visit them online at www.jfrd.com.