AUBURN — Electrical failure was blamed for a fire that destroyed a four-unit apartment building at 18 Hazel St. early Wednesday, fire officials said Friday.
Christopher B. Stanford, senior investigator at the Office of State Fire Marshal, said the fire started in the master bedroom of a first-floor apartment.
Firefighters responded to 911 calls shortly before 5 a.m. to find the first and second floors at the back of the building heavily engulfed in flames, Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Fifield said.
All the tenants got out safely, helped by other tenants. One tenant suffered a minor burn that didn’t require medical treatment.
A firefighter was taken to a Lewiston hospital with heat exhaustion.
The fire displaced a dozen people; one tenant was helped by the American Red Cross to find housing.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less