NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Fire Department crews fought a 4-alarm fire in the 1800 block of Hastings Place involving four large two-story residential buildings near popular Gris-Gris Restaurant on Wednesday afternoon.
Video footage sent by Sam Winstrom at approximately 2 p.m. shows billowing black smoke rise from the roof of the building.
*Story continues below video
According to NOFD Captain Edwin Holmes, the fire is believed to have originated at 1808 Hastings Place in the rear of that building and extended to the others, one to the immediate right and two others to the immediate left.
Holmes said 72 fire personnel and 25 units responded to the scene. First alarm was sounded at 1:50 p.m., second at 1:57, third at 2:09 and fourth alarm at 2:46.
WWL Louisiana's Amelia Strahan was on the scene and spoke to witnesses who saw the building go up in flames. Mary Claire Farrington lives just one block away. She said she saw the smoke from the Hancock Whitney building and said she rushed home.
"I wanted to come back and check on my house and check on my dogs and my neighbors dogs", Farrington said. "Those units right there were just charred and there were just flames coming from behind."
One firefighter was treated for burns on his hand, and another was treated for a finger laceration. No other injuries were reported.
NOFD said the fire was under control around 5 p.m. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Watch NOFD Captain Edwin Holmes spoke with media below:
VIDEO: Drone footage of 4-alarm fire that damaged four homes in Lower Garden District
This is an ongoing story and will be updated once further information becomes available.
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