Fire strikes Norwich apartment building
NORWICH – An apartment house in the City of Norwich suffered severe damage early today after a fire broke out in the rear of the building and spread to an upstairs and downstairs residence.
Norwich Fire Chief Tracy Chawgo said firemen responded around 2:45 a.m. after two Norwich Police officers reported seeing flames and smoke coming from the two-story house at 12 Walnut St.
Along with Norwich, the Oxford and Sherburne Fire Departments also responded. Chawgo said when firemen approached the scene, they encountered smoke filling the length of the street.
The first emergency crews reported flames burning along both floors in the rear of the home. Norwich firemen entered the smoke-filled house searching for victims, Chawgo said, because they had no information regarding the whereabouts of the apartment building’s five occupants.
A Norwich volunteer fireman living next door and another living around the corner immediately rushed over to help, he said.
Chawgo said a retired couple resided in the lower apartment while a younger couple and a small child live on the upper floor.
Norwich Police Chief Joseph Angelino confirmed no one was home at the time of the fire, saying all the residents were away on “overnight, out-of-town travel.”
Chawgo added that no injuries were reported.
He said crews worked for at least an hour and a half in getting the fire under control and crews remained at the scene as of press time Thursday morning. Damage to the home’s second floor was the most severe and the downstairs apartment suffered heavy smoke and water damage.
Officials declared the building uninhabitable and the American Red Cross is currently in contact with the families in setting up alternative living arrangements, reported Chawgo. The fire chief said the structure suffered damage, but estimated it could be repaired.
The Chenango County Fire Coordinators Office and Bureau of Fire, Fire Investigations Unit, were at the home Thursday morning to determine a cause and origin of the blaze. Officials had no information regarding the start of the incident and had not yet ruled out foul play. The Norwich PD reported the site would be treated as a crime scene until investigators determined a cause.
Norwich Fire Chief Tracy Chawgo said firemen responded around 2:45 a.m. after two Norwich Police officers reported seeing flames and smoke coming from the two-story house at 12 Walnut St.
Along with Norwich, the Oxford and Sherburne Fire Departments also responded. Chawgo said when firemen approached the scene, they encountered smoke filling the length of the street.
The first emergency crews reported flames burning along both floors in the rear of the home. Norwich firemen entered the smoke-filled house searching for victims, Chawgo said, because they had no information regarding the whereabouts of the apartment building’s five occupants.
A Norwich volunteer fireman living next door and another living around the corner immediately rushed over to help, he said.
Chawgo said a retired couple resided in the lower apartment while a younger couple and a small child live on the upper floor.
Norwich Police Chief Joseph Angelino confirmed no one was home at the time of the fire, saying all the residents were away on “overnight, out-of-town travel.”
Chawgo added that no injuries were reported.
He said crews worked for at least an hour and a half in getting the fire under control and crews remained at the scene as of press time Thursday morning. Damage to the home’s second floor was the most severe and the downstairs apartment suffered heavy smoke and water damage.
Officials declared the building uninhabitable and the American Red Cross is currently in contact with the families in setting up alternative living arrangements, reported Chawgo. The fire chief said the structure suffered damage, but estimated it could be repaired.
The Chenango County Fire Coordinators Office and Bureau of Fire, Fire Investigations Unit, were at the home Thursday morning to determine a cause and origin of the blaze. Officials had no information regarding the start of the incident and had not yet ruled out foul play. The Norwich PD reported the site would be treated as a crime scene until investigators determined a cause.
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