Fire in built environment

Apartment building fire in Lewiston displaces 9 families
A resident of 198 College St. suffered a minor burn, but no one was seriously hurt, officials say.
Crews work to extinguish a fire at 198 College St. in Lewiston. (Courtesy of Lewiston Fire Department)
Nine families were displaced after a fire broke out Monday night at an apartment building on College Street in Lewiston, according to officials.
The fire at 198 College St. was reported at about 9 p.m., Lewiston fire Chief Mark Caron said in a written statement.
Firefighters arrived to find flames on the building’s third-floor porch and deck. Caron said the fire appeared to have spread into one of the apartments and into the cockloft — a space above the ceiling and below the rafters.
Crews extinguished the fire quickly, Caron said, but worked until about 2 a.m. Tuesday cleaning up hot spots.
One resident suffered a minor burn, but no one was severely injured.
The building has nine units, all of which were deemed uninhabitable Monday night, Caron said. The Red Cross is helping the residents to find temporary housing. Caron did not have an exact count of how many people were displaced.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.