Hundreds of people were without power and many are under a water boil order after fire ripped through an apartment building early Monday.

The fire happened at 9579 National Road in Valley Grove around 6 a.m. Nine people were inside the building when the fire broke out and all escaped safely, Valley Grove Assistant Fire Chief John Gearry said.

Because of the blaze, American Electric Power crews shut off power to about 342 customers for several hours Officials with AEP said the power was turned off for safety reasons so crews could better fight the blaze.

There is also a 48-hour boil order in effect for water customers on McGraws Run Road and National Road, east of McGraws Run Road.

The cause of the fire was not determined as of noon, but officials said it could be electrical in nature. First responders found heavy flames in the basement and, due to the age and construction type of the building, the fire was difficult to knock down.

"We had some water supply issues. We had to call in additional departments. At this point, we probably have close to 20 departments from three different states and four different counties so very good cooperative effort," Gearry said.

Barry Litman, who formerly owned the building, said, "You never expect anything like that to happen, and when it does, you're just in awe."

Crews said they were worried about the structure possibly collapsing onto the road and said they would remain at the scene for some time Tuesday.

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