Firefighters halt Norwich brush fire that raced to apartment building

Nov. 9—NORWICH — Firefighters early Saturday quickly snuffed a Norwich brush fire that damaged a nearby apartment building.

The Norwich Fire Department at 1:04 a.m. was dispatched to 90 N. Street for a reported brush fire that spread toward one of the apartment complex's buildings, emergency officials said.

Norwich police began evacuating the building until heavy smoke conditions prevented officers from advancing to a third-floor common hallway. Those residents not escorted from the building escaped on their own, fire officials said.

The fire was confined to the exterior of the building and was deemed under control by 1:32 a.m. There were no injuries, and the fire caused minimal damage to the building. No residents were displaced, and the blaze remains under investigation by the city's fire marshal.

Automatic aid brought in volunteer crews from the Taftville, East Great Plain and Laurel Hill departments, as well as a team from the Mohegan Fire Department, with a second alarm adding Yantic, Occum and Preston firefighters to the call.

Anyone with information on the fire is asked to contact the Norwich Fire Department at 860 892-6080, or Norwich Police Department at 860 886-5561.