NORWAY, Maine — A fire ripped through an apartment building in Norway, leaving eight people homeless.
The fire started around 9 p.m. Monday on Beal Street.
Norway Fire Chief Dennis Yates lives just a couple of houses down the road. He and his wife were the first on the scene.
Yates said he noticed two problems when they arrived: a large propane tank in the front yard and downed power lines.
They had to handle both situations before getting to the fire.
“We shut off the source, cooled the tank, and then we fought the fire,” Yates said.
The two-unit apartment building was fully involved by the time fire trucks arrived. It took 45 firefighters from eight departments to put out the flames.
Everyone made it out of the building safely, and no one was injured.
Yates said the construction of the house made it even more difficult to firefighters.
“This is very tough, because it’s an old, old house, balloon framing. The fire starts on the first floor and goes right up through to the attic, and nothing is stopping it,” Yates said.
At this time, the fire does not appear to be suspicious. The State Fire Marshal’s Office will be on the scene Tuesday morning to determine a cause.
The Red Cross is helping the two families displaced by this fire.