East Granby, CT had a 3-Alarm fire on arrival for a house at 195 N. Main St engulfed by flames on 7/16/23 at 23:02. The family dog woke the residents up. This was the second multi-alarm of fire of the day for them, a department that does about 250 calls a year.
Patrick Dooley
New Haven 3rd alarm 92 Chapel St. vacant commercial building
07/14/23 New Haven, CT – Multiple calls alerted Fair Haven companies that they would be going to work. First-due Engine 10 reported a two-story, commercial building going good with exposures. Companies stretched big lines and prepared for an exterior firefight. Heavy fire vented the second floor windows as Truck One’s tower worked to beat the flames back. A second alarm was transmitted due to low water supply and the extreme heat of the day, but companies were able to keep the fire to the building of origin. However, with no headway made on a now deep seated fire, a third alarm was transmitted bringing additional companies to the scene. The fire took about an hour and a half to bring under control. Firefighters remained on the scene throughout the night with a fire watch detail. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the New Haven Fire Marshal’s Office and New Haven Police Department. Four firefighters were injured battling the blaze.
New Haven 2nd alarm 272 Lombard St. dwelling fire
05/13/23 New Haven, CT – Lombard station companies arrived to find heavy smoke showing from the top floor of this private dwelling. The fire had gained a foothold in the top floor and attic requiring multiple lines to be stretched as members of Truck 3 performed topside ventilation. All searches proved negative with the exception of a dog and cat that were rescued by firefighters. The dog survived and the cat died in the fire. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Glenn Duda
Saturday afternoon(6/24/23), Berwyn & Cicero Fire Departments (IL) were receiving calls for a house fire around Cermak Rd & Harvey Ave, right on the border of the two towns. Berwyn Engine 903 arrived to find a well-advanced, fully-involved house extending to both exposures. Crews led out numerous lines to the front and back. Engine 902 was feeding the aerial pipe of the truck, and Engine 901 lead out through the gangways from the block over to the rear. All in all, the fire was at a Box Alarm level, and seven hand lines were in operation. Cicero Engine 2, Forest Park Engine 401, and North Riverside E807 were hard at work as well.
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New Haven construction collapse
06/02/23 New Haven, CT – New Haven firefighters responded to 188 LaFayette St. shortly before one p.m. for a reported construction accident with a partial collapse. First-arriving companies found chaos throughout the site as workers were attempting to assist the injured, while others continued to work.
Firefighters found six people trapped within the collapse of wood forms, rebar, and wet cement. They had to work fast in dangerous conditions to search for and extricate the injured. Five workers were carried out via stokes baskets. One was removed via a high point, a hauling system set up using Truck 1 and ropes. It took firefighters about 45 minutes to rescue, package, and remove this worker. Eight were injured in the collapse with several in critical condition at area hospitals. The cause is being investigated by OSHA, the fire marshal’s office, and building officials.
Glenn Duda
Waterbury, CT 3rd alarm 835 So. Main St. vacant building
05/27/23 Waterbury, CT – Waterbury FD companies found heavy fire issuing from a mill building complex at the site of the former Waterbury Companies, which has long been vacant. Crews had a difficult time accessing the area because of a river alongside and heavy vegetation. Three ladders, several multi-versals, and hand lines were used to control the fire which took about three hours. All Waterbury Fire Department companies were used to battle the blaze. The cause of the fire is suspicious. Several firefighters were evaluated for various medical conditions.
Glenn Duda, Allhandsworking
19/June/2023 – Structure Fire with Injuries – “A” & “B” Shifts
A Green Pond Community (SC) home was destroyed and the occupant was injured in an early morning fire at 495 Weiss Lane Monday morning 19-June at 05:51. The adult male occupant advised he was awakened by the sound of breaking glass and discovered the older, two-story wooden structure was on fire. The man was barely able to exit the burning home. The house was well-involved but he attempted to reenter the residence to rescue his 28-year-old speaking parrot. The flames and smoke prevented him from reaching the bird and the man suffered smoke inhalation and second degree burns. The parrot perished in the fire.
He then ran 1/2 of a mile down Weiss Lane to the Balchem Plant to ask for assistance and called 9-1-1 at 05:51. Colleton County Engine 6 and Medic 6 arrived minutes later to find the two-story, wood-frame dwelling fully-involved. Firefighter-Paramedics deployed two 2-1/2″ handlines and two 1-3/4″ handlines to the building. The structure collapsed shortly after fire department units arrived.
Engine 6 requested a second alarm and directed Engine 9 to setup a water supply point by the boat landing at Joe’s Fish Camp at the nearby Ashepoo River. A tender shuttle was established for water supply using eight tenders shuttling water for several hours. Saint Paul’s Fire Department sent an engine and tender as automatic aid. Due to limited access to the home on the single-lane dirt road, a staging area was set up for tenders near Balchem.
The occupant, who was covered in ash and soot complained of difficulty breathing. He was treated at the scene by firefighter-paramedics, then transported to Colleton Medical Center in Fire-Rescue Medic 6. He suffered airway burns and was treated at CMC with advanced airway care. No helicopters could fly due to severe thunderstorms in the area. Fire-Rescue Medic 1 responded to the ED at CMC and with the CARE Flight Flightcrew, transported the man emergent to the Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta Georgia two hours away. He was in critical condition. The home was completely destroyed and the man lost all of his belongings. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Engine 6, Engine 2, Engine 9, Tender 1, Tender 2, Tender 6, Tender 9, Tender 13, Tender 22, Tender 27, Medic 1, Medic 6, Medic 9, Medic 13, Battalion 1, Car 111, and Car 118 responded. St Pauls FD responded an engine and tender. Battalion Chief Scott O’Quinn served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy
Fire Chief
Colleton County Fire-Rescue
