ALBANY - Fire destroyed seven row houses on Bradford Street Sunday morning when fire from the first building to burn spread into the attic above and invaded the crawl spaces over the adjoining houses.

At least 40 people, including resettled refugees, immigrants and low-income U.S.-born residents, lived in the buildings that burned. They all got out safely but lost their homes.

The Red Cross said it was assisting a total of 48 people from the street.

Fire officials said eight buildings were damaged in the blaze. Only one can be rebuilt. Demolition of the other row houses was expected to begin as soon as Sunday afternoon.

The fire at 140 Bradford St. was reported at 5 a.m. The flames spread into the building's attic loft and spread into the lofts of the adjoining house on the street.

"It just got up into the cockloft and just ran," Fire Chief Joseph Gregory said.

By the time firefighters arrived, 136 and 138 Bradford St. were burning too and the flames were still spreading. The buildings were attached and there are no firewalls between the attics, allowing flames to spread without impediment.

Once firefighters had the fires under control, damage had been inflicted on every building between 128 and 142 Bradford.

It appears the blaze began at 140 Bradford St., before spreading to neighboring structures. The block, tucked between Quail Street and North Lake Avenue, features a wall of adjoining homes.

Gregory estimated that about 40 people were left homeless. While the residents were spared from injury, a firefighter suffered minor injuries, he said.

The blaze was similar to another row-house fire, a Sept. 30 fire that left 32 adults and 18 children homeless when fire spread through several buildings on a nearby block of Quail Street.

That blaze, which destroyed six buildings, was started by a grease fire that began when someone was cooking at 176 Quail St. Many of the residents who lost their homes were students at local colleges.

Jill Peckenpaugh, the director of U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), the main refugee resettlement agency in Albany, said families displaced included former resettled refugees from Afghanistan, Burma and Iraq and immigrants from Bangladesh.

"I don't believe there were any very recent refugee arrivals, but certainly people who arrived as refugees in recent years and are now hard-working members of the community, however did not have renter's insurance and find themselves starting completely over once again," Peckenpaugh said. She said one of the homeowners did not have insurance either.

USCRI is one of multiple organizations, including United Way and the Mayor's Office, supporting the Red Cross to provide services to victims. Families will have temporary shelter for a couple days but need to find alternative housing. Peckenpaugh said some Afghan families already found new apartments in nearby neighborhoods so the kids can go to school without interruption.

Mayor Kathy Sheehan announced on Twitter the city will be collecting new in-package socks, undergarments and toiletries at City Hall, 24 Eagle Street, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Paula DeFreest lives at 150 Bradford. She woke up to find police officers evacuating the houses on her street. One officer ran back into her upstairs apartment to get her cat.

She said at least one oxygen tank exploded inside one of the homes gutted by the fire.

"It just split her apartment in half," she said.

"I stood there watching the flames and just said 'Oh God, don't let it come this way,'" said DeFreest, who recently made improvements to her apartment.

It was the second fire of the day for the Albany Fire Department.

Gregory said 41 Third Ave. also was damaged beyond saving after fire was reported there at around the same time as the other blaze. That structure will also need to be ripped down, he said.

Mallory Moench contributed reporting.