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A Memorial Day celebration ended in an unfortunate house fire over the holiday weekend in Philadelphia.

MyFoxPhilly reports:

A man who lives in the house where the fire started didn’t want to go on camera, but told Fox 29 he was barbecuing in his backyard.

He said he took the meat off the grill and went inside.

When he turned around, his backyard was engulfed in flames.

Cell phone video from a witness captured the flames, smoke and chaos around five o’clock on the 100 block of Linton Street.

“It was real thick and you heard the popping noises and everyone was running away from the smoke.” witness Saadia Washington said.

Authorities evacuated six homes on the block after the back yard fire began spreading.

Four of the places were damaged including Antonio Heyward’s.

“I wasn’t home, I was on my to the Phillies game. I got a call on my cell phone. They told me to come home, my house was on fire and this is what I came to,: Heyward said.

Heyward’s house connects to the one where authorities say the fire started.

He bought the property seven months ago.

It’s his first home.

“I was devastated, I still am. I can’t believe it. Everything is gone,” he said, “A lot of mementos, family heirlooms from my grandparents in the past, just everything. Everything I own is in that house.”

Despite losing all his possessions, Heyward realizes nothing truly irreplaceable got burned up in the flames.

“Thank God that everyone got out alive and everyone is safe and we’re good, we’re good. As long as everyone’s alive that’s all we really care about. Everything else can be replaced,” he said.

Three firefighters were taken to the hospital with minor injuries but have been released.

The Red Cross helped out a total of 15 people from four displaced families this evening, including Heyward who has no family in the area.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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