Sixteen people lost their homes when a four-alarm blaze destroyed a large converted barn on Locust Street in Manchester yesterday.
At least five firefighters were injured at the fire and taken to area hospitals for treatment.
John Hoffman, a volunteer for the Manchester Fire Company, suffered a possible fractured ankle and was taken to Carroll County General Hospital for treatment.
Several other firefighters were taken to area hospitals late yesterday evening, including two who were transported by state police helicopters. An employee at the Carroll County emergency operations center said as of about 8:15 p.m., at least five firefighters had been transported, but no additional information was available about the seriousness of their injuries.
The apartment building, a barn about half-a-mile off York Street, was converted to six apartments in 1986, according to 90-year-old tenant Charles Renn. Mr. Renn said he has lived at the building since 1987.
"I was in the apartment about 3:10 p.m., when I smelled smoke and at the same time, a man pounded on the door and told me get out, the place is on fire," said Mr. Renn, who occupied the unit directly above the ground-floor apartment where the fire apparently started.
"I went outside and saw the flames coming out of the basement apartment. There was nothing I could do."
Fire officials said the blaze burned out of the door from the basement apartment, along the outside wall and up into the attic through the overhang of the metal roof. Firefighters said there was no exterior door to get to the attic.
Frank Rauschenberg, deputy fire marshal, declared the building a total loss and said damage was estimated at $175,000.
The fire burned through the ceiling of the ground level apartment and into Mr. Renn's apartment. The floor of Mr. Renn's apartment collapsed into the basement unit.
Mr. Renn was the only tenant home in the building when the blaze was discovered by the resident of a nearby home, who called 911.
Carrie Clark, who occupied the ground floor apartment where the fire apparently started, told fire investigators she had been cooking on the electric stove, but took the pot off the stove before going to the store. She returned to find the 62-foot by 45-foot building in flames.
Firefighters were able to enter get into five of the apartments when they first arrived and bring out at least four dogs, including a Rottweiler, from a second ground-level apartment. Several cats and birds were also saved by firefighters, many of whom had to walk almost half-a-mile from their engines to the blaze.
Later, two smaller utility vehicles were dispatched to the fire to transported firefighters along the narrow street, which turns into a single-lane driveway, to the fire scene to battle the blaze in shifts.
Firefighters laid more than 1,500 feet of 5-inch hose from the nearest hydrant to supply water to the site. Officers on the scene later requested several water tank trucks to shuttle water from a nearby farm pond to the scene.
The ladder truck from Hampstead cut a hole in the metal roof for ventilation.
Firefighters were able to carry much of the furniture out of two apartments, while others battled the blaze above them in the attic.
One resident returned home in time to help firefighters remove six rifles and shotguns and several mounted animal trophies.
About two hours after the fire started, and just two minutes after officers ordered all firefighters to evacuate the building, the vinyl siding on the north end of the attic collapsed.
Medic crews from several fire companies set up a rehabilitation area to check the firefighters who were working in unseasonably warm weather. Fire equipment was still being sent to the scene about 8:30 p.m. last night.