Groton — Two occupants of the four-family building that burned Thursday evening at 273-279 Thames St. were treated for smoke inhalation and released hours later from Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, Groton City Fire Chief Robert Tompkins said Friday.

Tompkins could not identify the occupants taken to the hospital or passersby who helped carry one of them, an elderly woman, from the building.

A man named Mark Toscano has come forward as the person who kicked down the door during the rescue.

Though the fire marshal has yet to complete an investigation, it appears plumbing work that ignited insulation in an apartment basement caused the fire, which left the building uninhabitable, Tompkins said.

Fire spread up to the third floor of the apartment where the fire began, causing serious damage that will take months to repair, he said.

As many as eight people were displaced, according to reports, with the American Red Cross offering them assistance.