50 displaced from Rutland apartment building after fire

RUTLAND, Mass. – Fire departments rom multiple towns were on the scene of a large blaze at a Rutland apartment building Friday afternoon

The fire was first reported around 2 p.m. at the building on Maple Avenue.

According to the Rutland Fire Department, 50 people were displaced by the fire.

It’s unclear how many people were home at the time the fire broke out, but Boston 25 News reporter Elysia Rodriguez has learned that 10 people were rescued by emergency responders and some of them were injured.

Mary Jane Ekhardt told Boston 25 News her son tried to help the man in the apartment where the fire started.

"My son had kicked his door open he saw that he was on fire jumping off the deck," she said. "[He] pulled him out from underneath the deck, I guess he burned his head, his hands his jacket was melted."

Investigators said they believe the flames were caused by careless disposal of smoking material in a second-floor apartment, but the investigation is just beginning.

Ekhardt said as her son helped the badly burned man, she ran back inside to help alert neighbors.

"I ran back into the building and started knocking on all the doors – I don’t know if my hand is broken, they haven’t looked at it yet," she said.

Many residents said they didn't initially react because false fire alarms are frequent in the building.

“I saw a girl running down the hallway carrying a kid and she said it’s a real fire this time," Vikki Leonard said. “We came out and black smoke was billowing.”

The flames were fully extinguished by 6:30 p.m. and some residents were allowed back inside to get belongings out of their apartments.

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