UPDATE: Two residents were killed and five others were injured in the fire.

NEW BEDFORD — Emergency workers are battling a massive blaze in a multi-story New Bedford lodging house that caught fire on Tuesday afternoon.

The Royal Crown lodging house at 1305 Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford's North End went up in flames just after 3 p.m. Tuesday.

A second alarm was struck shortly after crews arrived at the scene, and the area around Tallman Street has been closed to traffic.

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Smoke from the blaze could be seen from I-195 for over an hour.

According to unconfirmed scanner reports, there were a number of residents inside the building when the fire broke out, and at least one person was reported as jumping out of a second-story window to get out of the burning building.

Royal Crown fire
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Officials have not yet confirmed if anyone was injured in the blaze, or how many people had to be rescued from the building.

Emergency crews from nearby towns including Acushnet, Freetown, Fairhaven and Dartmouth have all rushed to New Bedford to provide mutual aid and station coverage.

Paramedics have set up at the Empire Loan building across the avenue, while firefighters are behind the building and continue to fight the flames.

A lone firefighter disappears into the smoke at the Royal Crown fire in March 2023.
Phil Devitt/Townsquare Media
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As of just after 4 p.m., unconfirmed scanner reports state that the building has been mostly destroyed, with fire breaching the roof and as workers set up a "collapse zone."

New Bedford Animal Control Officer Manny Maciel was also spotted at the scene, although it is unclear how many animals were rescued from the building.

New Bedford ACO
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On-scene reporting provided by Phil Devitt.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

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