A fire tore through a Taunton apartment building early Tuesday morning. All residents were accounted for after firefighters made five rescues, the fire chief said.

Among those rescued were a family of three with a small child. Four of those rescued were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

The fire broke out at about 2:30 a.m. Taunton police got to the scene on Hopkins Road and started helping residents evacuated. Temperatures in the area were only in the single digits at the time.  

"This was an aggressive fire, and the severe cold creates an additional challenge for rescuers, but our Taunton firefighters, police officers and mutual aid partners did tremendous work this morning, stopping the fire and rescuing multiple residents," Taunton fire chief Stephen Lavigne said.

Lavigne said the building did not have sprinklers, but the alarm system woke everyone up.

"I'm just thankful that I wasn't in there when my floor caught fire," evacuated resident Susan Piwowarski said as she watched a firefighter put out flames by her apartment. "Things are things ... life is more important than all of that."  

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but the chief said it appeared to start in one unit and spread through interior walls up to the roof. The building has been significantly damaged, and 15 residents have been displaced. 

The city, the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross are assisting the displaced residents.

"Our hearts go out to all the residents who cannot go back into their homes, but we know that they are receiving an outpouring of support today," Lavigne said.