A serious fire ripped through the third floor of a multifamily house on Lafayette Street in Bridgeport just before 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

One woman is in the hospital and more than two dozen people are displaced.

"I just heard an explosion and we got out," said Celena McKnight, of Bridgeport.  "I'm disabled so I was scared."

McKnight lives on the first floor and said she's grateful a family member came to her rescue.

"I was getting ready to take a nap. We heard the alarm and she came and got us out,” said McKnight.

Firefighters fought the blaze and quickly put it out after spraying the building with water. Bridgeport Assistant Fire Chief Armando Cora said the fire seems to have started in the area of the porch, but the cause is currently under investigation. He also said residents are unable to return to the building at this time.

"They've been burnt out of their home. There's a lot of damage, water and smoke damage. I feel bad for them,” said Cora. “We've got the Red Cross responding to get them some shelter.”

One of those people is 23-year-old Jayda Hostos.

"I'm actually grateful that I made it here in the time that I did, honestly,” said Hostos.

She's a caregiver to her mom, 40-year-old Norma Rivera, who she said is disabled. Hostos wasn’t at the building when the fire broke out. She said her brother called her crying saying their mom was stuck inside. Luckily, her mom was rescued then taken to the hospital.

Hostos awaited a call from the hospital on her mother’s condition, which eventually came through -- they said she is doing well.

They are one of several families burned out of their homes this holiday season, but they said they are very mindful of how lucky they are.

"I'm just so grateful that my whole family made it out alive,” said Hostos.