Crews knock down fire burning 3 homes in Emeryville; 3 treated for smoke inhalation

EMERYVILLE, Calif. (KGO) -- An Emeryville home on 47th Street caught fire Wednesday morning. It then spread to two more homes.

Firefighters say three people were taken to the hospital to be treated for minor smoke inhalation, including an infant. Everyone else is OK and accounted for.

Firefighters do not know the cause of the fire. They got the call at 8:45 a.m.

Sara Bohannon was sleeping when she realized something was wrong.

"I heard a commotion next door, then smelled smoke, heard popping and crackling. I looked out the window and saw the neighbor's house on fire," Bohannon said.

The fire then spread to her home. She easily grabbed Spinelli, her pet tarantula, but had a little more trouble finding Maya, her cat.

"I was a little panicked. My cat hides when she is afraid. I had to turn the couch over to get her out," she said.

The neighbors on 47th Street had just been talking about preparing for a moment like this.

"A friend of mine and I were just talking yesterday about having a block party and saying let us not have it be the next crisis that we get to know our neighbors," said Liz Boner, who lives across the street from the homes that caught fire.

The test came before the get together. But she says everyone sprang into action when they saw the fire.

"Everybody came. Neighbors were knocking on the houses because people were sleeping. The family was here, it looked like they were cold. Everybody grabbed blankets and shoes," she said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.