NORTHAMPTON — Friday night’s fire at 47-49 Round Hill Road displaced three residents and brought out 20 on- and off-duty firefighters to the scene, according to a statement from Northampton’s fire department.
The fire went to a third alarm, drawing responders from Easthamtpon, Amherst, Holyoke, Williamsburg, Whately Hatfield, Hadley and Southampton, according to the statement, released Saturday at 10 a.m.
Firefighters received word of the fire just after 10:45 p.m. Friday.
The two buildings at the address, joined by a connector, are apartment buildings. The fire mostly affected 49 Round Hill Road, which was vacant and under renovation, but flames spread through the connector to 47, which opened to tenants on July 1.
Tenants were alerted to the fire by a loud fire alarm, and emergency responders knocked on doors to evacuate them.
By 11 p.m., firefighters and emergency responders moved onlookers taking cell phone pictures and videos away from the building, which began to collapse as a result of the working fire.
Mike Chalifoux, 35, a tenant at 47 Round Hill Road, described emerging from his door shortly after the alarm sounded.
“I came outside and was shocked to look next door and see a fire of that proportion,” he said. “It was pretty bad and I’ve been outside for a while now.”
The Northampton Fire Investigation Unit and the State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the cause of the fire.