NEW HAVEN, CT—Three firefighters suffered minor injuries fighting a three-alarm blaze on Elm Street early Wednesday morning.
Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames on the second floor of 934 Elm St. at around 12:30 a.m. The fire was extending to the roof and an adjacent home, Deputy Chief Tim Kieley said.
One of the firefighters partially fell through a staircase leading to the third floor as the blaze was being battled, reports on Twitter said. A second firefighter received a minor burn and a third was injured in a fall, Kieley said. None of the injuries were serious, he said.
The fire displaced people who were in the 2.5-story building at the time of the blaze, he said.
Seven adults were displaced as a result of the fire, according to Emergency Management Director Rick Fontana. The Red Cross came to the scene to assist them.
One resident suffered burns to their fingers, while another had difficulty breathing, Fontana said. The individual that had trouble breathing was hospitalized.
A woman who asked to be identified as Asia said she and her grandmother were in the home during the fire.
“I woke up out of my bed, and I was like ‘oh my gosh, smoke,’” said Asia. “I was just so scared.”
They escaped uninjured, Asia said. But the experience was traumatizing, she said. And now, she’s left without a plan for the future.
“I have no idea (what I’m going to do),” said Asia. “I lost everything.”
People from the house next door also evacuated but the extension of the fire was minor, so they were allowed back in, Kieley said. Most of the damage to that home is to the exterior, Fontana said.
About 60 firefighters were on scene battling the blaze which was knocked down in about 30 minutes, Kieley said. Firefighters are still on scene at about 5 a.m. but are expected to leave soon, he said. The Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the blaze.
As of approximately 10 a.m. Wednesday, the doors and some of the home’s windows had been covered with plywood. Police tape barred the steps to the porch; burn marks were visible on the exterior of the second floor and third floor.
———
©2019 the New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.)
Visit the New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.) at www.nhregister.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
