NORWAY – The upper two stories of a Cottage Street apartment building were ravaged by fire Thursday afternoon, leaving as many as four families homeless.

Smoke drifted across downtown Norway and some residents lost power for more than two-and-a-half hours as firefighters fought the blaze.

According to preliminary reports, no people were injured in the fire.

Reports of the fire came over the police scanner at 12:43 p.m. Firefighters were still on the scene at 3:45 p.m. and expected to remain there another half-hour, said Norway Fire Chief Michael Mann.

“It ain’t in good shape,” he said of the building, at 15 Cottage St. “The third floor’s gone, the second floor’s a mess. Other than that, it’s water damage.”

Most of the fire was contained in the building’s ceilings, which had to be ripped down, Mann said. “We’re pretty sure it’s on the second floor that it started. We think it was in the back apartment.”

Mann said seven apartments were in the building.

No cause was immediately determined, the chief said. Reports that cats and dogs were in the building had not yet been verified. The fire department had only done a preliminary walk-through and needed to inspect the building further, Mann said.

A fire marshal is being called in to investigate the blaze’s cause, he said. A damage estimate will not be available before the department had inspected the building again.

Amanda Clark lived on the third floor of the apartment building, according to Sarah Leeman and Joie Dunham, who were watching the fire from the south end of Cottage Street.

Clark was visibly distraught and was comforted by Leeman, Dunham and other friends as she watched the smoke pour from her apartment windows.

“It’s all gone,” Leeman said of Clark’s apartment. “There’s nothing left.”

Leeman lives near Clark’s apartment and had come out when she heard sirens go by, expecting a motor vehicle accident.

Dunham said Clark has two girls, Katlyn, 5, and Madison, 4, who were in school Thursday.

“Unfortunately, I used to live in that apartment,” Dunham said. Clark likely had cats, she said, adding that she knew there were dogs in the building.

Fire departments from Bridgton, Hebron, Mechanic Falls, Oxford, Paris, Poland, Waterford and West Paris were among those on the scene, Mann said. PACE responded as well.

The United Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross sent two staff members and had two volunteers from Bridgton on hand, said Senior Executive Director Douglas Hoyt.

“In this case and for most cases, a fire official calls and gives us the best information they have,” Hoyt said.

According to a press release he issued, four families were displaced by the fire.

“Emergency relief in the form of food, clothing, and shelter will be provided to those individuals who are in need of assistance following their devastating loss,” he said.

Gail Rice of Central Maine Power Co. said 2,840 customers in Norway, Paris, Otisfield and Greenwood lost power for at least a half-hour after a fire department requested it be cut off for safety reasons.

Of those, 310 customers were left without power from just before 1 p.m until 3:27 p.m.