Eleven people were forced to evacuate their homes early today when fire raced through the rafters of six row houses in Manchester on the North Side.

No injuries were reported. Fire officials said, however, their efforts to battle the blaze were hampered by the decrepit conditions of three of the burned units.

The fire originated in the basement of 1516 Chateau Street where the residence was cluttered with unused building material and other stuff.

Because of the clutter hoarded at the unit, firefighters had difficulty maneuvering to fight the fire at the point of origin.

The fire was reported at 3:30 a.m.

It began in the basement of the first unit, burned vertically up and through the roof, and quickly spread to the other units through the common rafters above the third floor of the structure.

Two other houses in the row were not damaged by the fire.

The American Red Cross helped provide temporary housing for the 11 residents of the building.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.