Five people, including three firefighters, were taken to the hospital after fire destroyed 969 Pequot Trail in Stonington on Thursday morning and equipment has been brought in to demolish the house.
Cheryl Ann Chase, of Stonington, said her twin brother and six other people were inside the house and cooking breakfast when the fire started around 7:30 a.m.
"It was a little smoke coming out of the house. We went over and the smoke was all the way down. The ceiling was already on fire. My brother was on the floor," Chase said.
When firefighters arrived, everyone was out of the house, but two people who had been inside had to be taken to the hospital .
The fire spread quickly and did major damage to the floors and roof, which made it difficult to extinguish.
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"We tried to go in so that we could get to some of the areas, but with the conditions of the roof, everyone was pulled out for the safety of the firefighters," Deputy Chief Bob Sullivan, of the Old Mystic Fire Department, said.
Fire officials said the injuries the three firefighters sustained are minor.
