By Anika Clark
SouthCoastToday.com

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Nearly 30 people were left homeless early Thursday morning when fire destroyed a South End apartment building.

The fire "was pretty well advanced when (firefighters) got here" shortly after 1:15 a.m., said District Fire Chief Michael Dandurand while standing outside the blackened triple-decker at 46 Ashley St. At the general-alarm fire's height, about 50 firefighters were on the scene, Dandurand estimated.

Asked Thursday night about the fire's cause, origin and whether it is suspicious, Dandurand said the blaze, which was called in as a porch fire, remains under investigation.