3 injured, 2 with serious injuries, in intense Salisbury Beach blaze

A massive fire ravaged four homes Friday night on Salisbury Beach, leaving at least three people injured, two of whom had serious injuries.

Firefighters responded to Atlantic Avenue just after 7 p.m., and they could see heavy smoke and fire in the distance, Salisbury Fire Chief Scott Carrigan told Boston 25 News. The fire quickly became a five-alarm blaze as the flames traveled through two homes and then spread to two more buildings.

Two people found outside the homes were taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to Boston 25. A third person was also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, The Boston Globe reported.

No firefighters were injured, and all residents in the buildings were accounted for, according to Boston 25. A dog and cat were also rescued from one of the homes.

The fire was extinguished after about two hours thanks to what Jake Wark, a spokesperson for the Department of Fire Services, called “truly remarkable work” from local and mutual aid. More than a dozen fire crews from Massachusetts and New Hampshire responded to the scene.

“This is what mutual aid is all about: when one community faces a significant emergency, neighboring departments come together, answer the call, and help shoulder the load,” the Hampton Fire Department in New Hampshire said on Facebook. “Mutual aid works because we all help one another.”

The origin and cause of the fire are currently undetermined and will “likely take some time” due to the extensive damage, Wark told Boston.com. Massachusetts State Police fire investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office are assisting Salisbury fire officials with this process.

Salisbury fire officials could not confirm further details about the investigation or the extent of the damage Sunday morning.