NORWICH, Conn. — A man is dead after a fire broke out in a Norwich building Tuesday morning, officials said.
“I mean I cut his hair a few times. It’s just hard,” said Harrison Faison, owner of Platinum Cuts Barber Shop which is next to the building where the fire happened. “At the same time I was pulling up, the brother of the individual who was in there had pulled up at the same time, so when I pulled up to the curb, I jumped out and said your brother is stuck up there. A lot of people screaming and running.”
The mixed-use building on Central Avenue was home to an apartment on the second floor and a business on the first.
Fire officials said the call for the fire came in just before 8 a.m. with the report of someone trapped inside. Three people managed to make it out of the building, but the adult man was found dead when crews worked their way into the second-floor apartment to battle the blaze.
“They were able to start knocking down the fire and during that time, they located an adult male on the second floor who was unfortunately passed away,” said Norwich Fire Department Battalion Chief Michael Dziavit.
He has not been identified at this time, and officials have not yet determined his cause of death.
Officials did not state if the three people who made it out were also injured.
The Red Cross is at the scene to help those displaced by the fire. Fire officials said the second-floor apartment is unlivable, with the first-floor business only facing some water damage.
At this time, it's unknown what started the fire. The state fire marshal is at the scene helping the investigation.
This is a developing story.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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