Tag Archives: Connecticut

Office Building, Retail

New Canaan, CT – Fire in historic downtown commercial building contained by sprinkler system

New Canaan firefighters on Monday night put out a blaze that had broken out in the third story of a commercial building at the corner of on Main Street and East Avenue, prompting emergency responders to close the area to motor vehicle traffic.  It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire at 96 Main St., though it appeared to have started in the attic of the prominent downtown building, according to Fire Chief Jack Hennessey.

“Sprinklers assisted with putting out the fire,” Hennessey told NewCanaanite.com. “The sprinklers saved the day. It could have been a very, very serious fire. Right now we are making sure that we got all of the fire and we are dealing with the water damage from the sprinkler system.”

No one was hurt in the blaze, which drew multiple New Canaan Police and Fire Department vehicles—including Engine 1 and Ladder 2—at about 7:48 p.m., officials said.  The full extent of the damage could not immediately be assessed, Hennessey said, though it included structural damage in the attic and water damage on the third floor and possibly second floor.

“It’s dark and it’s still a mess, so it’s hard to tell,” he said.  The smell of smoke wafted down from the building on this windy Labor Day night, as some dozen people milled about the street and sidewalk below.

Police closed Main Street between Locust and East Avenues, and also directed eastbound traffic on East Avenue back down away from the scene.  The 1912-built, brick-exterior building—long known as the “Wire Whisk” space and currently occupied by both New Canaan Nails & Spa and Kaahve coffee shop on the ground floor facing Main Street, and Cava restaurant on a lower level around Forest Street—is known to longtime locals as the former base of Elliot Noyes & Associates, named for the Harvard Five architect who worked and resided in New Canaan.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Somers, CT – Sprinkler system limits spread of fire at senior housing complex

Five occupants were injured early Sunday morning as a result of a fire that broke out in a woman’s apartment at the Woodcrest Senior Housing complex at 75 Battle St., a fire official said.

The fire was contained to the living room of a second-floor apartment, Fire Chief John Roache said today. The elderly woman who lived in the apartment was rescued by firefighters and bystanders and taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford, he said.

Another elderly woman from a different apartment suffered minor back injuries during the evacuation of the building and was transported to Johnson Memorial Hospital, Roache said.

Both women have been released from the hospital, he said. Three additional occupants suffered smoke inhalation but refused to be taken to the hospital and were treated at the scene, he said.

The Fire Department responded to an automatic fire alarm at the apartment complex just after 1 a.m. Sunday, Roache said. Firefighters extinguished the fire “in seconds” and the building’s sprinkler system was instrumental in keeping the situation from escalating, he said.

“Smoke detectors and automatic sprinklers stopped this from being much worse,” Roache said.

He said a lamp cord that ran along a couch in the living room of the apartment where the fire started appears to have caused the blaze. The cord had likely sustained damage over time due to being placed in the couch’s reclining section, Roache said. This damage appears to have caused a short, he added.

The tenant of the apartment where the fire started is currently staying with family members while her residence is repaired, Roache said. He did not have the names of those who were injured.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Windsor Locks, CT – Laundromat fire contained by sprinkler system

A fire that started in a dryer at Cozy Corner Laundromat injured one patron Tuesday evening before firefighters could douse the blaze.

At 6:35 p.m. firefighters responded to an emergency call from the laundromat, located at 255 Main St., and found heavy smoke when they arrived, Assistant Fire Chief Francis DeBella said.

“The sprinkler system held the fire in check, while we were able to get in there and extinguish it in about an hour,” he said.

The fire originated in a dryer, DeBella said, and burned a female customer who had tried to douse the flames.

The woman’s burns were minor ones, he said, and she was evaluated by the Lions Club ambulance crew.

Firefighters from Bradley International Airport responded to the scene with their ladder truck, and police assisted with traffic control.

The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the blaze.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Hamden, CT – Sprinkler system keeps fire at high school from spreading

Hamden High School students were briefly evacuated Friday after fire broke out in the nursery/daycare room, fire officials said. No one was injured as a result of the fire, but one teacher did suffer a minor injury attempting to open a window to help clear smoke from the building, a fire official said.

The fire was reported at 7:41 a.m. in the south end of the building. The Hamden High School administration and staff had already started with an orderly evacuation of all students, assisted by both HHS security and Hamden Police Officers, fire officials said in a news release.

The evacuation was taking place as the first HFD apparatus arrived on scene. The entire student body was relocated to the football stadium away from fire department activity. Fire officials said an activated sprinkler head in the nursery helped contain the fire, which was extinguished at 7:53 a.m.

Water damage from the activated sprinkler and fire department suppression was limited to the room or origin and adjacent hallway. The structure was ventilated to remove smoke and the products of combustion.

The entire school was metered by HFD personnel to ensure the safety of the atmosphere, according to the news release. At 8:55 a.m. students were allowed back to class. Hamden Fire Marshal Brian Dolan concluded that the area of fire origin was the stove in the nursery/day care room.

During this event, a second but unrelated fire was reported in an electrical shed adjacent to the Louis Astorino Skating Rink located at 595 Mix Avenue (in the rear of Hamden High School).  This secondary alarm was reported at 8:04 a.m. by the Hamden Public Works Electrician working on scene, and was brought quickly under control by the responding units.

Deputy Fire Marshal Tim Lunn is investigating the fire, which appears to have originated in the electrical panel that controls the outdoor lighting at the facility. There were no injuries at this event.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Danbury, CT – Sprinkler system contains flames when man’s recliner catches fire

A man was brought to the hospital after his recliner caught fire at a Danbury apartment building Sunday.

A mix of volunteer and career firefighters from Danbury responded to the eight-story building at 25 Beaver Street around 11 a.m. The fire happened in an apartment on the second floor.

“The sprinkler system put most of the fire out and the crews finished the job,” said Assistant Fire Chief Mark Omasta. “It was extinguished quickly.”
 
The man, who has not been identified, was taken to Danbury Hospital for probable smoke inhalation, which Omasta said is precautionary. He said the man was alert and conscious when firefighters brought him out of the building at 25 Beaver Street.

Firefighters also rescued the man’s cat, which is being examined by a veterinarian, Omasta said.

The building is listed online as Putnam Towers and one of the five elderly properties the Housing Authority of the City of Danbury owns and manages. It has 54 units, according to the housing authority’s website.

Omasta said the man’s apartment has water and smoke damage but the other units are OK.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Westport, CT – Kitchen fire in multi-family residence extinguished by sprinkler system

A sprinkler extinguished a kitchen fire at a multi-family residence at 1655 Post Road East before arrival of firefighters, said Assistant Chief Brian Meadows. All residents safely evacuated the residence, operated by the Westport Housing Authority. Cause of the fire was under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office. Temporary accommodations for residents displaced by the fire were arranged by the Westport Housing Authority and American Red Cross.

Apartment Building, Residential High Rise

Stamford, CT – Laundry fire in high-rise apartment building held at bay by sprinkler system

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Though tenants had to wait outside for a bit as firefighters did their work, nobody was hurt and nobody displaced after a drier caught fire in a 12-story high rise on Strawberry Hill Avenue late Friday night. The fire department got the call for a fire at the Carlton Plaza apartment building, situated roughly between the Stamford Police Department headquarters and Stamford High School as the crow flies, shortly before 10:30 p.m.

Fire Capt. Michael Terenzio said that the fire started in or near a drier on the third floor. It is as yet unclear whether a malfunction in the drier started the fire, and the fire marshal is still investigating. “The third floor was evacuated, no one lost use of their apartments, everyone did react to the fire alarm system and it looks like the damage was confined to the object that was on fire, except for, obviously, smoke damage,” said Terenzio. “Everyone was probably out for an hour or so.”

After that, the 120 tenants were able to go back to their units. The captain said the building’s sprinkler system worked as it should and helped keep the fire at bay until firefighters were able to bring up a hose.  As a precaution, firefighters recommend regularly cleaning highly flammable drier lint out of traps and ducts.

Apartment Building, Residential

Derby, CT – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in containing apartment building fire; No injuries

There were no injuries reported after a fire in a laundry room on Fourth Street Wednesday. The fire was reported at about 3:20 p.m. within a three-story apartment building at 16 Fourth St. near the Derby Green.

The building’s alarm sounded and about eight people in the building immediately left. The cause and precise origin is under investigation by Derby Fire Marshal Phil Hawks.

The fire started in the building’s laundry room in the basement. Damage was limited to that room, said David Lenart, an assistant Derby fire chief. The building’s sprinkler system and the arriving firefighters kept the flames from spreading.

The building underwent a complete renovation within the last few years. Shelton firefighters responded to the call as well. As of 3:52 p.m., firefighters were carrying in large fans to vent the smoke from the apartment house.

Apartment Building, Residential

Hartford, CT – Apartment fire put out by sprinkler system; No injuries

A small fire in a kitchen at 76 Pliny St. was put out by sprinklers last Thursday evening, fire officials said. Firefighters found out about the fire about 4:40 PM and found the fire in one of the apartment’s kitchen, Capt. Ted Kolosky said.

The building was evacuated and no one was injured. The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fairfield, CT – Sprinkler system credited with keeping apartment fire in check

On Sunday, Aug. 23, at 2:48 p.m. the Fairfield Emergency Communication Center received a report of a fire alarm at 130 Fairchild Avenue. Engine 2, Engine 3, Ladder 2 and Car 3 were dispatched. While responding, FD units were advised that there was a fire in one of the kitchens. Fairfield Engine 2 arrived first and reported heavy smoke on the second floor of the 54 unit apartment building and a smoke condition on the third floor.

Engine 1, Engine 4, Engine 5, and Ladder 1 we additionally requested to the scene to support the fire ground effort. Assistant Chief Schuyler Sherwood arrived Car 3 and took command. Upon gaining access to the apartment, Engine 2 determined the fire had been controlled by the building sprinkler system. On scene fire units began an extensive search and ventilation operation. High levels of carbon monoxide were found on multiple floors of the building.

The occupants of the fire apartment were evaluated for smoke inhalation by AMR. The building was ventilated and all 54 units searched. Assistant Chief Schuyler Sherwood stated, “The occupants of the building were extremely lucky that this building had a sprinkler system and that the sprinkler system kept the fire in check. The damage would have been much worse had there not had been a working sprinkler system.” Assistant Chief Sherwood went on to say that “He would like to remind people of the importance of evacuating a building when the fire alarm system sounds as occupants were found in the building after the fire who did not evacuate and in fact there were high levels of carbon monoxide in the area of their apartments”.

Fire Units remained on scene for about two hours. Two apartments in the building were damaged and will not be able to be occupied.