More than half the residents of an apartment building in Southbridge, Massachusetts, were displaced when a fire broke out Sunday morning.
Fire officials were notified of the blaze around 9 a.m. The 4-alarm fire at the Rosemeade Apartments on Worcester Street left people like Richard Bready homeless.
"I thought it couldn't have been my building," said Bready. "Everybody thinks it's going to be somebody else's."
Bready says he got up like any normal day and walked his dog. He didn't see any signs of flames. But he returned minutes later to find his building engulfed by fire.
"Flames were shooting up to the sky, a big black plume of smoke, and I started running towards it," he said.
Jumping into action, Bready immediately began yelling, waking up his neighbors. Glen Forest just moved into his apartment seven months ago.
"We were going to set our alarm to wake up a little early to go on a hike, and that alarm woke us up first," said Forest. "It was just a piercing loud sound, didn't sound like a regular fire alarm."
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The fire, at first, looked like it was only affecting the left-hand side of the building, but it quickly spread into the attic, making it tough for the four first responders to fight.
Fire Chief Mark Difronzo didn't hesitate to ring out more alarms.
"The guys did a great job with what they had with manpower," he said. "We got everybody out of the building, which was a priority."
Three people were injured in the fire, including one firefighter who suffered smoke inhalation. All animals were accounted for, but the damage is adding up as the state fire marshal's office continues investigate.
Residents find solace in knowing their valuables may be gone, but no lives were lost.
"It's a tough time of the year," said Bready. "I know there are families with kids and whatnot, but if everybody gets out OK, it's alright."
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire.
