An early-morning fire in St. Regis Falls has left 10 people homeless and four recovering from smoke inhalation, according to Franklin County fire officials. One was transported to Fletcher Allen Healthcare in Burlington, Vt. via Lifeflight for further treatment. His condition is not known.

Over 100 firefighters from Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties responded to an alarm shortly after midnight and found the building on the corner of North Main and Spring Streets burning.

The town of Waverly has declared a state of emergency to deal with the situation. A stretch of downtown from Norton Avenue to Prior Street is closed to traffic.

Franklin County Fire Coordinator Ricky Provost said the state of emergency was because of the size of the building and its proximity to the nearby New York State Police office and United States Post Office.

Provost said the building will be demolished. State and county workers are currently on-scene knocking the structure down.

Firefighters used about 2 million gallons of water extinguishing the blaze over a seven-hour period.

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