Five people were killed when fire gutted an old apartment building near a university campus in Maine on Saturday, in what is now described as Maine's deadliest fire in three decades.

The 90-year-old building, now totally destroyed, sat close to the University of Southern Maine in Portland and was the venue of a Halloween party the night before.

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City officials have yet to determine whether the fatalities were residents or party guests, and if they included any students.

Confusion on the number and identity of the victims continued on through Saturday after state marshall spokesman Steve McCausland initially said the victims were students, but Portland Fire Chief Jerry LaMoria said they were not sure.

Firefighters said the blaze started around 6 a.m. on Saturday on the two-storey structure that housed two apartments.

A building resident who managed to escape from the fire said his smoke alarm went off around 7 a.m. and he ran to the back of the building, joining another resident jump out the window onto a porch roof and on to the ground.

Two of the fatalities were found on the second floor and two others on the third floor.

Another person who jumped from a second-storey window was in critical condition after sustaining severe burns and was brought to Boston hospital for treatment.

The neighborhood consists of both permanent residents and university students living in single and multi-family homes.

University spokesman Chris Quint expressed condolences to the families of the victims and to those who lost their home in the fire.

Over at the campus, students anxiously waited for word if any of their friends were hurt in the deadly blaze. At least one university student was found to have escaped from the fire.

Saturday's fire was the deadliest in Mained since a 1984 blaze also killed five in Hartland.

Investigators are in the process of looking into how the fire started, and whether or not there were any violations of building or safety codes.

Portland Mayor Michael Brennan assured the city's support for the victims and their families.

TagsMaine Fire, University of Southern Maine