SOUTH PORTLAND — A fire in an apartment complex late Wednesday morning displaced two dozen residents.

The cause of the fire at Liberty Commons on Westbrook Street wasn’t immediately known and there were no reports of injuries among tenants, although one firefighter was hospitalized after suffering a medical condition at the scene.

The fire began in a top-floor apartment in one of the buildings of the complex in the city’s Brick Hill area.

It appears to have started on the deck of one of the apartments and spread into the attic area above two of the units, said South Portland Deputy Chief Phil Selberg. The state Fire Marshal’s Office has been called in to investigate, he said.

Fire damage was confined to the two units, Selberg said, but there was water damage throughout the building.

One firefighter suffered a medical emergency during the fire, he said, and was taken to a hospital. Selberg said he didn’t know the firefighter’s condition as of 3 p.m., but the situation was not considered life-threatening. All the tenants and pets were accounted for, he said.

A column of black smoke was shown rising from the building in a video tweeted by South Portland resident Adrian Dowling.

Adam Francis was in the apartment adjacent to the one where the fire appears to have started. He said someone buzzed his front door to tell him there was a fire.

He put his 7-month-old daughter, Bailey, who he had been feeding, in a car seat and quickly left, Francis said.

Neither was injured, but he wasn’t able to grab any belongings, he said.

The American Red Cross of Maine was helping him and his wife, Whitney Francis, make arrangements for a place to stay and obtain essentials, such as diapers and formula, he said. Whitney Francis’ employer, Standard Baking, provided the couple with a credit card to help with expenses, he said, and they booked a room in a motel Wednesday night. The Red Cross and the bakery “have been super-helpful,” he said.

Francis said his apartment had fire, smoke and water damage. He said there’s no estimate yet on when repairs will be made and when the couple will be able to return.

Ann Kim, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross of Maine, said the organization was working with 24 residents of the apartment building.

Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at:

emurphy@pressherald.com

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