Firefighter injured in Aurora townhouse blaze

An Thursday afternoon Aurora fire that started at one townhouse, spread to the adjacent one next door, rendering both uninhabitable and leaving a total of $250,000 of damage in its wake.

A firefighter was also injured putting out the blaze, authorities said.

Aurora Fire Lt. Steve Kish said the 12:22 p.m. fire on the city's far southeast side started on the front porch of 1741 Fredericksburg Lane, and that the wind spread the flames up the building and to the attic.

Once at the attic, the flames moved to the neighboring attic at 1739 Fredericksburg Lane - both houses are three stories tall.

A woman was taking a shower inside the first unit at the time of the fire, but when she saw the flames, a neighbor pulled up in an SUV and she climbed onto the vehicle and to the ground before fire fighters arrived, Kish said.

It took 28 minutes to bring the fire under control.

A firefighter sustained second-degree burns on his neck after embers from the attic fell inside his jacket, Kish said.

He was treated and released from Provena Mercy Medical Center in Aurora.

Meanwhile, six people were left homeless from the fire.

A family of four lived at 1741 Fredericksburg Lane and a couple lived in the home next door.

1741 Fredericksburg Lane sustained a total of $150,000 in building and content damage, while 1739 Fredericksburg Lane had $100,000 in damage.

Due to extensive fire, smoke and water damage, the families were forced to make other living arrangements, Kish said.

The fire's cause remains under investigation.