At approximately 3:10 a.m. on Friday, January 21, the North Norwich Fire Department, Sherburne Fire Department, City of Norwich Fire Department, Plymouth Fire Department, Smyrna Fire Department, and Chenango County Office of Emergency Services Coordinator Staff and Fire Investigators responded to the scene of a fire at the Carpetmaster store, located at 7131 State Highway 12 in the Town of North Norwich. (Photos by Norwich firefighter Joe Angelino)

NORWICH — At approximately 3:10 a.m. on Friday, January 21, the North Norwich Fire Department responded to a 911 call reporting a fire at the Carpetmaster store, located at 7131 State Highway 12 in the Town of North Norwich.

"When I got there we had heavy fire involvement in the main showroom area, and at that point it was already through the roof," said North Norwich Fire Department Chief and Chenango County Fire Bureau Coordinator Matthew Beckwith. "The building actually had the showroom and had a warehouse that was attached to it on the southern half of it. That’s gone too, so all the building and all its contents were completely destroyed."

The City of Norwich Fire Department, Sherburne Fire Department, Plymouth Fire Department, and Smyrna Fire Department also responded to the scene, providing fire trucks and tankers, as well as manpower to fight the flames.

Responding units had to battle not just the fire, but also freezing cold temperatures, which dropped as low as eight degrees below zero. The frigid conditions led to frozen gear and trucks, Beckwith said.