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5 dead, 1 hurt as fire guts housing near University of Southern Maine

Firefighters examine the scene of a fatal apartment building fire Saturday in Portland, Maine.
(Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press)
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Fire swept through an apartment house near the University of Southern Maine on Saturday morning, killing five people and critically injuring one, authorities said. It was unclear whether any of the victims were students.

A state fire marshal’s spokesman initially said the victims were not students and that some people were unaccounted for, but Portland Fire Chief Jerry LaMoria said late Saturday afternoon they simply do not know yet who the victims are or whether anyone is missing.

University President David Flanagan said at least one person who escaped the fire is a student.

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The fire gutted the two-story 90-year-old structure, which had been the scene of a Halloween party the night before. LaMoria said investigators were trying to determine where the fire started. The building housed two apartments.

One person was reported in critical condition in the burn unit of a Boston hospital. State fire marshal’s spokesman Steve McCausland said the man suffered severe burns and jumped from a second-story window. A second person was treated and released from a hospital; at least seven people escaped from the burning building.

Nathan Long, who said he woke up to the smell of smoke when his alarm clock went off, told the Portland Press Herald that he didn’t hear any fire alarms going off. He said he yelled “fire!” and ran to the back of the house, where another person was opening a window. They both jumped onto a porch roof, then to the ground, where he saw the badly burned body of another person.

“I feel pretty lucky. I’m kind of numb,” Long said.

Damien Croxford of South Portland was driving through the area on his way to work when he saw the house in flames and the entire neighborhood cloaked in smoke. He said he found a badly burned person lying in the street breathing and conscious after he called 911.

Croxford said he spoke with people who had evacuated the home who said they were unsure how many people were inside during the fire.

Croxford said the heat from the fire was so intense that he had to back away from the scene.

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“It’s going to stay with me for a long time,” he said. “A prayer for the families.”

The neighborhood is a dense residential area of single- and multi-family homes. A resident, Mike Krigman, said the neighborhood is a mix of permanent residents and USM students.

“It’s just awful when you have that many people involved and hurt,” Krigman said.

“It’s a tragic situation,” Chris Quint, a spokesman for the university, said in an email Saturday afternoon. “Our hearts and thoughts go out to the families of those injured in this tragedy. We’re still getting information in.”

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