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by WARREN WOODBERRY JR. and FERNANDA SANTOS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
A suspected arson fire devoured a cluster of Brooklyn homes yesterday, leaving a half-dozen families homeless for the holidays.
The three-alarm blaze erupted around 10:20 a.m. inside 976 Decatur St. in Bushwick. Within minutes, the fire had spread to the two multifamily wooden row houses on either side, forcing residents to flee with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.
"I didn't have a chance to take anything," said Hector Seretnay, 61, a janitor at Kennedy Airport.
"Everything I have, everything is in there," Seretnay said, gazing at the charred remains of 978 Decatur St., his home of 20 years.
Four people were taken to hospitals and treated for minor smoke inhalation, an FDNY spokesman said.
The exact cause of the blaze was unclear last night.
But an investigator said they suspect arson "due to the heavy volume of fire upon arrival." The speed of the blaze also indicates an accelerant may have been used to fuel the flames, an FDNY official said.
It took 145 firefighters to bring the raging fire under control. The home where the fire started was destroyed, and the adjacent buildings were damaged so severely that it could be months before people can move back in, authorities said. The 16 displaced residents were staying with relatives yesterday until they can find new homes, Red Cross spokeswoman Carolyn Coffey said.
"Flames were just coming from everywhere," said Loretta Brightwell, 63, a neighbor whose home was damaged by smoke.
The firefighters' quick work helped to minimize injuries and damage, Brightwell said. "It could have been a major catastrophe," she said.
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