From Staff Reports

BIDDEFORD — A structure fire at an apartment building in Biddeford sent eight people to the hospital early Thursday morning, two of them in critical condition.

Biddeford Fire Chief Joseph Warren said his department received a report of a fire at 35 Main St. at 3:47 a.m., and responders arrived minutes later to see the structure ablaze.

The fire took place in an addition at the rear part of the building, which is made of wood, said Warren. It took about half an hour to get the fire under control, and an hour to achieve “last stop,” the point at which the fire stops causing damage.

Warren said the cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Biddeford Fire Department, Biddeford Police Department and the State Fire Marshal’s office.

Saco, Goodwin’s Mills and Scarborough fire departments all assisted with the fire, he said.

“It was a dangerous one,” said Warren.