A roaring fire ripped through a five-story apartment building just before midnight Thursday, killing four residents and injuring four others, officials said Friday.
One woman leaped from a second or third story window, and firefighters carried several tenants down aerial ladders to escape the flames that punched through the roof of the brick downtown dwelling.About 20 tenants were driven out into frigid temperatures and were left homeless by the fire as more than 200 firefighters fought for several hours before it was declared under control.
Three of the dead were retrieved shortly after the fire was reported at 11:25 p.m.
The fourth victim was found in rubble on the fourth floor about 9:30 a.m., said Norwich Fire Chief and Fire Marshal Harold H. Lamphere Jr.