SHEFFIELD — An early morning fire destroyed a nine-unit apartment building, officials said, leaving several families homeless.

Fire Chief Dewey King said the fire started some time before 3:30 a.m. at 101 Park Blvd. When he arrived at 3:30 a.m., he said flames were coming from the eaves of the building and breaking through the roof.

“No one was injured — occupants or firemen,” King said. “The occupants lost all their contents and belongings. They got out with the clothes on their backs.”

Terry Lenz, Sheffield fire marshal, said the apartments were in a house built sometime in the 1870s by a Civil War veteran. It was converted to apartments in the 1940s, he said, and its construction was such that stopping the fire from spreading through the structure was difficult, at best.

Eight of the nine apartments were occupied, Lenz said, and 12 to 14 people were living there. King said the American Red Cross was contacted to assist the occupants.

“The building is a total loss. Though some of it is still standing, it will have to come down,” King said.

Lenz said the fire appeared to have started in the southeast corner of the downstairs. The cause remains under investigation.

While no one was injured in the fire, a cat failed to get out alive, Lenz said. It was buried in the backyard of the property, he said.

All the city’s firefighting units responded to the blaze and worked to contain it to the building, King said, protecting surrounding residences from the fire.

“The guys did a good job,” he said. “The Sheffield police did a good job keeping traffic off the five-inch hoses we had spread on the streets.”

Park Boulevard is about two blocks west of Montgomery Avenue. A portion of the boulevard winds around the bluffs overlooking the Tennessee River.

Robert Palmer can be reached at 256-740-5720 or robert.palmer@TimesDaily.com.