ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Red Cross is helping nine people after flames burned through a duplex on Rochester's northeast side Saturday night.

Responding fire crews quickly called for a second alarm at a home on Melville Street between Denver and Greeley Streets just before 8 p.m.

They arrived to find smoke and flames pouring from the back of the house.

Flames spread to the second floor as well as the attic and damaged the second apartment, too.

"The fire quickly spread to the house next door, so crews were very busy protecting the exposures before committing to the inside of the duplex,” said Deputy Chief Jim Ryan. "To this fire, we had roughly 40 firefighters, maybe upwards of 45. That's about half our city. We were running pretty thin there for a little bit."

Firefighters say the home is a total loss.

They say a pair of cats also died in the fire.