AUGUSTA, Maine — Six residents of an Augusta apartment building escaped safely as fire consumed a vacant third-floor unit Saturday morning.
Augusta firefighters were called to 37 Chapel St. at 6:13 a.m. Batallion Chief Steve Leach said.
"The original call came in from a woman in the building next door who could see flames coming from an apartment window," he said.
Crews arrived to find smoke and flames coming from the third floor. An all-hands alarm called all Augusta firefighters to the scene, but Leach said mutual aid was not needed at the scene.
Fire damage was contained to an unoccupied third-floor apartment being used for storage, Leach said, but smoke and water damage left the remaining apartments uninhabitable.
Six residents are working with the American Red Cross to find temporary housing.
The fire was under control at about 7 a.m.
Investigators from the state fire marshal's office remained at the scene at 10:30 a.m. No cause had been determined, Leach said.