Apartment complex fire
in Norwich

Norwich (WTNH) - A serious fire engulfs a building in Norwich that contains both businesses and apartments, leaving 3 hurt and displacing 21 people.

Firefighters in Norwich are battling a serious blaze this morning that injured three people and displaced 21.

The fire started at around 2:30 this morning, at the Central Ave. building that contains the Sunshine Farms business, as well as apartments.

Norwich firefighters were responding to an unrelated car accident when they saw the flames, self-dispatching while the fire department was receiving numerous 911 calls about the fire.

An elderly woman, a tenant in the building, was critically injured and flown by Lifestar to Bridgeport Hospital with serious burns, where she is still in critical condition.

Two firefighters were also injured and taken to the hospital for observation.

21 people have been displaced. Chief Kenneth Scandariato of the Norwich Fire Dept. says the Greenville fire station has been set up as a temporary shelter for residents in need. The Red Cross was also on the scene to aide displaced residents.

Norwich police add that about 15 minutes into the fire, there was a massive power loss throughout most of the city, including the police dept. and the Emergency Dispatch center. When the emergency generators kicked in about 30 seconds later, they received an influx of 911 calls about the power outage.

Norwich police want to remind everyone that 911 is to be used for emergencies only, not routine calls. They say using the 911 system improperly might result in a delayed response to an actual emergency.