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The fire broke between a parked van and the 2½-story, wood-frame Berkshire Street building off Union Avenue shortly before 7 a.m., Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said.
The flames "traveled through the unprotected truss flooring system" of three attached addresses and blew through the roof before they were knocked down a little under an hour later, Speziale said.
Lightweight materials used in building the mixed-use structure worsened the three-alarm fire, which severely damaged a tattoo parlor, the restaurant and the apartments above them, the director said.
Engine 2 Capt. Kyle Hoffman forced his way into a second-floor apartment and rescued the sleeping the pair, he said.
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PHOTOS: BT Fire Photos
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No injuries were reported.
Six residents were displaced, Speziale said.
A city fire marshal was investigating the cause.
"Crews once again deliver by evacuating residents from the swift-moving fire," Fire Chief Brian McDermott said. "Rapid extinguishment of this fire surely saved impending collapse of the lightweight building materials we encountered."
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