A four-alarm fire tore through several homes in Jersey City Sunday morning, officials say.

The fire started at around 5 a.m. on South Street.

Firefighters say that because of the wind, it quickly spread to other neighboring homes.

Neighbors say that the house the fire started in was vacant. Officials say a patrol car noticed the flames and called the fire department.

Firefighters then helped evacuate the residents of surrounding homes. They remained on the scene to monitor the buildings.

"I was sleeping and my mom woke me up screaming," said Yugal Pattni.

Other neighbors say they woke up to firefighters knocking on their door and were forced outside in the cold rain.

No one was hurt, but the Red Cross says it's helping five families and a total of 17 people with emergency food and housing.

The families were allowed inside later in the day to assess the damage and collect whatever possessions they could.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Officials say it does not appear to be suspicious.