MOUNT CARMEL, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say a borough fire chief was critically injured while fighting a blaze that spread to seven row homes in central Pennsylvania.

The fire was reported at 11:41 a.m. Monday in Mount Carmel, about 60 miles north of Harrisburg in Northumberland County. Lt. Chris Duhay of the Mount Carmel police department said the flames had spread to seven row homes.He said James Reed Sr., chief of American Hose Fire Company in Mount Carmel, collapsed within one of the structures. Reed was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital, where an official said he was listed in critical condition Monday night.Duhay said fire crews from three counties and as far away as Bloomsburg were battling the flames.The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known.