Norwich — A fire on Thursday afternoon damaged two of the three apartments at 117 Prospect St., displacing eight people, Norwich Fire Battalion Chief Marc Benjamin said in a news release.

At 3:11 p.m., the fire department was dispatched to a reported structure fire with flames and smoke visible from outside, Benjamin said. Firefighters stretched a line to the second floor and found a kitchen fire that extended through the cabinets and into the ceiling.

The initial crews put out the fire while others established a water supply, searched the apartments and ventilated the building, and the fire was knocked down in about 10 minutes, Benjamin said. The fire department also got assistance from the Mohegan Tribal Fire Department FAST Team, Norwich police and Norwich Public Utilities.

Benjamin said the building is "not a loss; it's totally repairable." He thinks the two adults and four children on the first floor should only be displaced a few days because their unit just had water damage, whereas the fire was on the second floor and the two residents there could be out a little longer.

"The key to everything was the two-minute response from our first engine," he said.

Benjamin said when he left the scene, there was no smoke or fire damage in the third-floor unit, and it would be safe for the two adults to stay there. The Red Cross said it is helping all 10 residents, five children and five adults.

The Norwich fire marshal's office is investigating.

e.moser@theday.com