DERRY | Seven people were forced from their apartments into the frigid night air when fire tore through their Birch Street building early Thursday morning.

All escaped without injury.

Firefighters were called to 45 Birch St. at 4:45 a.m. and could see smoke and fire upon arrival. According to tenant Mike Lovasco, the building has five apartments housing 12 people. Five were not home at the time of the blaze.

One of the building's first-floor tenants, Andrew Murphy, said he was awakened by a crackling noise in the ceiling and could smell smoke immediately. He awakened his two children to bring them outside and when he went back to wake up the other tenants of the building, he could see flames in his kitchen.

"By the time I got out, my kitchen was orange," said Murphy, who has lived in the building for about two years.

Murphy said Thursday morning that he planned to stay in a hotel that night, but didn't know where he would go permanently. Just about everything he owns was destroyed in the blaze, he said.

Luckily, Lovasco, who has lived in the basement apartment for the last eight years, said he will be able to save most of his belongings. He was just worried about his two cats, which were in the apartment in the sub-zero temperatures.

It took about an hour to get the fire under control, a process that was made more difficult by the frigid temperatures, according to Battalion Chief Michael Doyle.

"It slows everything down," Doyle said. "When you're throwing water around, it freezes up real quick."

More than three hours after the fire was under control, two women wearing bathrobes were still looking at the wreckage and the Red Cross' disaster relief truck was still on scene helping people to stay warm. The Salvation Army, Public Service of New Hampshire and Derry's Public Works department also assisted tenants while firefighters controlled the blaze.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but Murphy said he believes it was likely caused by an electrical problem because it came through his apartment wall. According to town assessing records, the building is owned by Paul Swope. He could not be reached for comment by press time.

Windham, Londonderry, Auburn, Manchester assisted the Derry Fire Department at the scene of the fire while firefighters from Londonderry, Salem, Chester and Hampstead provided coverage at the fire station.