Assistant Fire Chief Bill Haug said the man, whose identity was not available, suffered third-degree burns over 40 percent of his body.

Both houses destroyed in the fire had been vacant, and police officers found the homeless man near the front porch of one of them, Haug said.

The homeless man was rushed by AMR Ambulance Co. to Bridgeport Hospital's Burn Center. His condition was not immediately available.

It took firefighters about 30 minutes to bring the fires under control, and heavy smoke poured through the neighborhood off Park Avenue.

Dawn Melendez, 41, said she was at Seaside Park with her family when she saw thick smoke and drove toward the Gregory Street neighborhood to see what was going on.

Melendez and her son, Thomas Melendez, 17, said the homeless man's back looked badly burned and his shopping carriage, which was filled with plastic bottles, clothes, green plastic garbage bags and a white stuffed teddy bear, also was burned.

The homeless man was shirtless and shoeless and his long johns were burned, Thomas said. "His back was like all burned up and his arm was burned," Thomas said.

Tyshane Pride, 32, of Bridgeport, said he was visiting a friend in the neighborhood when he saw all the smoke. "It's kind of bad That whole house is kind of savaged right now," he said as flames shot through the roof of the second house.

All three floors of the first house were engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived and it quickly collapsed. That was one indication the fire was set, and arson investigators were due to arrive on the scene, Haug said.

The second house could not be saved and it was expected to be demolished.