BALTIMORE (WJZ) - A two-alarm fire breaks out inside a crowded townhouse in Federal Hill.

Firefighters were on the scene of a two-alarm fire early Monday morning in the 1200 block of Battery Avenue.

Five people were inside the three-story building when the fire started. They escaped and were taken to the hospital as a precaution. A firefighter was also hurt in the blaze. He is being treated at the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

The fire caused the second story of the townhouse to collapse-forcing crews out of the building. Flames quickly spread to several nearby homes.

Firefighters say the townhouse contained a large amount of combustible materials.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.