Fire at Norwich Apartment Complex

Crews responded to a two-alarm fire at the Cedar Glen apartment complex in Norwich today, the same complex where a police officer was shot during a standoff in January.

The fire started inside an apartment on the top floor. No one was in the apartment, but one firefighter went through the third floor to the second floor. He is doing OK, officials said.

"The fire burned from the top floor to the second floor and typically you don't see things like that with the way the structure was burnt," Chief Kenneth Scandariato, of the Norwich Fire Department, said.

Juan Colton was one of the many tenants evacuated as a precaution.

"A lot of flames on the other side of the building. The flames were over passing the roof. It was real bad," he said.

Police responded to this complex in January for a despondent person, who engaged police in a standoff and shot Officer Jonathan Ley four times. Ley has since been released from the hospital.

The shooter, Jason Razzino, 30, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Colton said he remembers that day vividly.

"One week one thing, the next week, the next thing. It's crazy," Colton said.

Coupled with today's emergency, he's ready to make a change.

"I was just telling my roommate, I'm ready. I got to get out of here. It's too much drama in this area," he said.

The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire and the American Red Cross is helping residents.

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