Three Reported Hurt in Fire on Court Street in Binghamton

A large house in downtown Binghamton was damaged in an early-morning fire.

The blaze in the two-and-a-half story wood-frame structure at 213 Court Street was reported shortly before 5 a.m. Monday.

The house is located about one block west of the city's main fire station.

Flames were observed on the second floor of the building when firefighters arrived at the scene.

Four people reportedly were in the building at the time of the fire. Three of them required medical attention. One man sustained burns to his face.

A person familiar with the matter said the man who was burned initially was able to safely get out of the house. He was injured after he went back into the building. Firefighters on the scene reported he then refused to leave.

The main body of the fire was knocked down after 10 minutes. The blaze was declared under control about 10 minutes later.

The Red Cross was called to assist residents forced out of the house because of the fire.

Damage from the blaze appeared confined primarily to the rear portion of the building's second-floor.

Binghamton Fire Department officials were unavailable to comment on the cause of the fire Monday afternoon. Initial reports indicated the blaze was linked to careless smoking.

The large structure damaged by the fire once served as a rooming house known as the Lane Tourist Home.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.