Several people rescued from Stoughton apartment building fire before roof collapses
Several people were rescued from a balcony after a fire tore through an apartment building in Stoughton, Massachusetts early Friday morning.
It happened at a complex off of Wheeler Circle at around 1 a.m. Firefighters said the fire started on the third floor and quickly spread.
People trapped on balcony
"The whole house was engulfed with smoke and the flames were shooting everywhere," said Geraldine Ramos, who lives in the building. "My granddaughter heard somebody screaming, 'Fire! Get out, get out!' and we were the last people that got out of the building, me and my granddaughter."
When firefighters arrived, they found several people trapped on a balcony and managed to rescue them safely.
"Our ladder company positioned, they did make a rescue," said Stoughton Fire Chief Michael Carroll.
A short time later, the roof collapsed.
"There's no fire wall in that attic," said Carroll. "So the fire did spread."
"Scary stuff"
Firefighters were able to contain the flames to the third floor. Everyone got out safely and no one was hurt.
The Red Cross is now helping the more than 50 people who were displaced. Ramos said she's eager to get back inside so she can grab her medicine and some supplies for her dog.
"Scary stuff, it was real scary," said Ramos. "And a lot of people here are real shook up over it."
Firefighters said the back of the building is likely a total loss. The cause of the fire is not yet known.