Several families were left homeless Wednesday by a massive fire in Yonkers.

The fire began in a multi-family home on Morningside Avenue and quickly spread to a neighboring home. Investigators say the fire was caused by the bad judgment of a tenant. The tenant apparently wanted to make her home smell nice and placed pine branches on a stove and turned it on.

At least 75 firefighters battled the flames in the two homes for almost four hours. Several firefighters were injured and one suffered a severe laceration to his hand. All 16 people in the houses were evacuated safely.