A Centre County apartment building, gutted by fire Wednesday afternoon leaves more than 20 families homeless. Along with the firefighters -- it was some of the tenants who got their neighbors out alive. It's a story you saw first on Channel 6 News.

Firefighters were called to the Academy Apartment building Wednesday afternoon, and at first it didn't look to bad- just some smoke. But once inside- an inferno...

Tim Knisely of the Bellefonte Fire Department says, "It was dispatched as a bedroom fire on the second floor and we had calls right away reporting people trapped."

It was a panic situation, but some didn't immediately head for the exit.

George Mincer says, "I ran up to where the steps were because I'm maintenance. I pulled the fire alarm. I got everybody out I could get out."

His neighbor meanwhile, doing the same.

Jeff Guiser adds, "I went through the third floor trying to make sure everybody was out and I went down on the second floor and tried to make sure everybody was out. The smoke got too intense and I had to come back out of there."

Firefighters were battling flames and high winds; they too had to back off:

"It's an open wood frame building on the inside and it has open walls from the basement to the attic. The attic is open. It's unsprinklered, which is the most critical part of this because if it was sprinklered this wouldn't have happened", says Knisley.

The building, a Bellefonte landmark, once a prestigious private school is by late in the day, just a shell.

Frank Halderman of the Borough Council says, "Besides being a living place for the people who are going to be displaced now, it's really a sad day for Bellefonte history."

For those who are left homeless by this fire; a shelter has been set up at the Bellefonte Elementary School. We're told there's about 25 famalies down there. For many of them, they lost everything in this fire.

Donations are being taken for the victims left homeless by this devastating blaze. Clothing and packaged food can be dropped off at the Faith Center on West High Street. You can drop them off Thursday through Saturday between 9 AM and 4 PM.