CROWN POINT | A blaze that tore through more than 10 townhomes Monday was described by a Crown Point volunteer firefighter as the worst residential fire he's seen in 12 years with the department.

At first glance, resident Paul Drambarean thought smoke billowing from the Princeton subdivision townhome a few doors down from his own was from a barbecue.

But flames visible over the fence of the 24-year-old Crown Point resident's patio quickly changed his mind.

"I realized at that point that this wasn't a barbecue by any means," said Drambarean, who dialed 911.

The blaze, which started about 1 p.m. Monday, gutted or damaged more than 10 townhomes in the Princeton subdivision off Broadway near U.S. 231.

At least 10 local fire departments, some from as far away as Porter County and Illinois, responded to the fire.

Firefighters battled flames licking the attached units for several hours, their efforts hampered by the gusting wind.

"The wind was against us," Crown Point Fire Inspector John Gettler said.

Crown Point police Cmdr. Jim Poling said the fire started in a garage of one of the townhomes and spread from unit to unit. He said there were no injuries to homeowners.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Crown Point acting Fire Chief Mark Baumgardner said.

Onlookers and the townhomes' residents watched the homes burn from a hill overlooking the subdivision.

Firewalls were in place between the units to buffer against the spread of fire from townhome to townhome, Planning Director Curt Graves said, but the fire burned from the outside in. The firewalls did slow the fire's growth, he said.

Residents' cats and dogs ran out as firefighters opened doors to the units during the blaze. A gray cat named Ralph was given oxygen for smoke inhalation. Owners Sean and Andrea Oller took Ralph and their other cat, Steve, to the vet.

Onlookers perched nearby said their hearts went out to the residents who lost their properties.

"I just hope everybody's OK," said 50-year-old Rose Jones, who was passing by and decided to watch the fire. "It's a tragic loss, but material things aren't as important as each other."