Three people were killed when fire tore through several buildings in Berlin overnight.
Crews recovered the body of an unidentified person Wednesday morning. Sources close to the investigation said that the person was believed to be a man in his 40s who lived in the building for several years and may have called 911 to report the fire.
Two other residents were unaccounted for during the day, and by Wednesday afternoon, two more bodies were recovered from the site of the fire. Their identities have not been released.
Neighbor Tim Ellis said that he believed the two were his daughter and nephew. He said that his daughter called him Tuesday night because of an emergency.
"I went over there, and one corner of the apartment inside was in flames," Ellis said.
Ellis said that within minutes, the building was engulfed, and the fire spread to five other buildings. He said that he tried to rescue the woman and 5-year-old boy.
"I tried to get into the apartment in the back to get my nephew and my daughter out of there, but the smoke was so heavy, I had to back out," he said.
Fire officials said that the fire spread to six apartment and commercial buildings along Main Street. The fire was reported at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday and fire crews arrived with minutes, but officials said flames were already shooting out of one of the buildings.
"When (firefighters) first arrived, they were pulling people out of the burning building," Chief Randall Trull said.
A fire was also reported Tuesday night at the Isaacson Steel Co. on the other side of town, but officials said that was an accidental fire unrelated to the Main Street fire.
The cause of the fire at the apartment buildings was under investigation.
"We're working from the least damaged to the most damaged and trying to isolate it to an area," said Deputy Chief John Raymond of the state fire marshal's office. "Believe it or not, we can bring this probably within a room of origin or even closer to an area of origin maybe as big as a coffee can."
The fire was brought under control overnight, and current and former residents gathered at the site Wednesday morning while excavators were used to help locate lingering hot spots.
"I wanted to cry," former resident Paulette Byron said. "All the memories. I'm thinking I have to call my brother in Denver and tell him that where we lived is flat."
The Red Cross set up shelter at City Hall for those displaced by the fire.
