A three-alarm fire ravaged two homes Friday night in Perth Amboy after it started in one home and quickly spread to the house next door.

Fire officials say two elderly people were rescued from their homes after a blaze broke out at 432 Lawrie Street around 6:15 p.m. The fire spread to the house next door, where a retired firefighter lives. The retired firefighter?s son-in-law, who lives downstairs in the home, noticed the flames and quickly brought him to safety. He then went next door, broke a window to unlock the door and rescued the elderly woman who lives inside the house.

Firefighters used ladders to extinguish the fast-moving flames. According to fire officials, there were many spaces in the roof, which allowed the fire to spread. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.