Three suspicious fires that erupted within two hours and 1 1/2 miles of each other on the city's East Side Thursday night marshaled more than three-quarters of the Buffalo Fire Department's manpower.

Firefighters were first called to 124 Playter St. at 9:28 p.m. for a fire in a 2 1/2-story vacant wood frame house, which spread to a vacant two-story house at 122 Player, Third Battalion Chief Michael Biasillo said.

"We had two (houses] going at once, and we were in danger of losing a third," Biasillo added.

Firefighters who were hobbled by low water pressure on Playter asked the city to elevate pressure.

"We were able to contain it to the two houses," Biasillo said.

Damage was placed at at $25,000 at 124 Playter and $10,000 at 122 Playter. An emergency demolition was ordered for 124 Playter.

About 10:30 p.m., firefighters were directed to a blaze in a 1 1/2-story vacant house at 480 Peckham St., where crews encountered heavy fire conditions, with flames shooting through the windows and roof.

While firefighters battled the Peckham blaze, a fire broke out shortly after 11 p.m. at a 2 1/2-story home at 839 S. Division St. Fire officials said no one was home at the time and a sale was pending on the property.

"Upon arrival, we had the second floor fully involved in fire, fire in the attic and through the roof," said Battalion Chief Mike Swanekamp, who is stationed in North Buffalo. "We didn't know if it was occupied or not. There were cars in the driveway. We went in on the first floor and we couldn't find anybody. So, we pulled our crews out and went defensive."

Swanekamp said about half of the city's manpower was already assigned to the fires on Playter and Peckham streets when the South Division Street blaze erupted. That blaze siphoned firefighting manpower from the West Side and North and South Buffalo, he said.

Damage to the house on South Division was estimated at $65,000. The loss at 480 Peckham was estimated at $25,000 and an emergency demolition was scheduled.

Swanekamp said arson investigators are attempting to determine what triggered the fires.

"Three fires in a very short period of time in the same neighborhood is, of course, suspicious," Swanekamp said.

tpignataro@buffnews.com null