A home at 913 St. Charles Place suffered extensive damage in a fire early on July 5.
Ocean City firefighters answered a 1:40 a.m. call on Sunday to find heavy fire and smoke on the first floor of a home at 913 St. Charles Place.
Smoke detectors were activated, and residents of the first and second floors, and some children staying on the third floor managed to escape the building unharmed. But six adults on the third floor had to retreat when they found the stairs blocked by fire and smoke, according to Deputy Chief Bill Bowman.
Firefighters found them trapped on a third-floor deck, and five were rescued with ladders. They stayed with an elderly woman until a safe indoor escape could be made.
The fire had broken windows and started to climb up the siding, and the six were transported to Shore Medical Center as a precaution after inhaling smoke and feeling the heat of the fire.
One firefighter was injured and received six stitches for a cut suffered in handling equipment, Bowman said.
Firefighters controlled the blaze and limited it to the first floor, but the rest of the building suffered smoke and water damage.
One cat was found alive in the home. Four others are presumed to have escaped, but owners were still looking for them last night.
The fire started on the first floor, and the cause is still under investigation. It is not believed to be suspicious or related to fireworks, Bowman said.
The property is adjacent to Brown’s Restaurant on the Ocean City Boardwalk.
Tax records list the property owners as Gianfranco and Valentina Chiarelli of Bridgeton.
It’s not immediately clear where the displaced residents took shelter after the fire. Some were at the firehouse.
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