An apartment fire in Hartford forced more than 20 people out of their homes Monday night and two people were taken to the hospital.
In total, 23 people are displaced. The Hartford Fire Department said that included 21 adults and two kids who now have to find another place to live for the time being.
Firefighters were dispatched to Wethersfield Avenue just before 9:30 p.m. Monday. When they got there, they saw heavy fire coming out of the first floor. Hartford Deputy Fire Chief Adam Guertin described the situation as chaotic.
"Just a hectic scene on arrival. We did have people hanging out of windows and a lot of people screaming, of course the rescues that were affected," said Guertin.
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He said two people needed help getting out of the building. Firefighters rescued one woman from the third floor with a ladder and another woman from the ground floor.
Both women were taken to the hospital for possible smoke inhalation.
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By Tuesday morning, contractors were boarding up dozens of windows and securing the building, so no one could get in there and get hurt.
"It looks horrible. It looks like a total loss. I mean it was a bad fire," said Angel Ortega, who works for Kapura General Contractors.
Ortega said there's significant damage inside the building and it could be a while before residents can return home.
"A lot of Sheetrock falling from the ceilings down to the floor. A lot of water damage, a lot of water damage," said Ortega.
Hartford Fire Department's Special Services Unit along with the American Red Cross are helping the seven families affected by this fire. For now, they're staying in nearby, city-contracted hotels.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.