Crews responded to the large, brick house at 143 Coleman Street at approximately 3:23 a.m. to find residents hanging from their windows.
Firefighters quickly set up ground ladders and rescued four of the residents, Fire Chief Richard Thode told the newspaper.
Five firefighters were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries which were mainly heat and stress-related.
A Mayday was sounded around 4 a.m. after sheet rock fell on a firefighters, hitting the alarm button on his radio. A RIT team was deployed, but no rescue was necessary and the firefighter was uninjured.
None of the residents were injured but 28 were left homeless by the fire.
"This was a very difficult fire fo fight," Thode said. "It's an old building, it's hot and humid, (the firefighters) did a phenomenal job."
The more than 100-year-old structure was heavily damaged, but officials said it was not a total loss.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
