Fire near Maine college campus kills 5 people, others missing

PORTLAND, Maine -- Fire swept through a two-apartment building near the University of Southern Maine's commuter campus on Saturday morning, killing five people and critically injuring one, authorities said. They were still trying to account for several people who had been at a Halloween party at the building the previous night.

The fire, which gutted the two-story structure, was reported at 7:17 a.m. It was not known if those unaccounted for had stayed the night or left before the fire erupted.

CBS affiliate WGME in Portland reported seven people managed to escape from the burning building, some by jumping from the upper floors.

Eyewitnesses said one man was on fire when he jumped off a porch and into the street. He suffered severe burns and was reported in critical condition in the burn unit of a Boston hospital, state fire marshals' spokesman Steve McCausland said.

WGME received a statement from USM which confirmed that students lived in the building, although there was no information on their condition.

Saturday afternoon, Portland Fire Chief Jerry LaMoria said they don't know if any of the victims were students. It was also unclear how many, if any, people were still missing.

From the outside, one side of the building looked severely damaged by flames.

Damien Croxford of South Portland was driving through the area on his way to work when he saw the house in flames and the entire neighborhood cloaked in smoke. He said he found a badly burned person lying in the street breathing and conscious after he called 911.

Croxford said he spoke with people who had evacuated the home who said they were unsure how many people were inside during the fire. Croxford said the heat from the fire was so intense that he had to back away from the scene.

"It's going to stay with me for a long time," he said. "A prayer for the families."

The neighborhood is a dense, residential area of single and multi-family homes. A resident, Mike Krigman, said the neighborhood is a mix of permanent residents and USM students.

"It's just awful when you have that many people involved and hurt," Krigman said.

Sam Hill, the editor of the university's paper, said anxious students spent the day trying to get information about what happened.

"Everyone is just trying to find out if their friends are hurt," he said.

The university set up a place where students could gather, exchange information and support each other.

"It's a tragic situation," said university spokesman Chris Quint said. "Our hearts and thoughts go out to the families of those injured in this tragedy."