Archive for the ‘Fire’ Category

Man freezes to death in Bridgeport

Saturday, February 9, 2013 by:John Burgeson

BRIDGEPORT — A 53-year-old man was found dead under the snow outside his house on Old Town Road Saturday afternoon, officials said.

Police and firefighters were dispatched to a house on Old Town Road near Park Avenue at about 12:20 p.m. on what was described as possible hypothermia cardiac arrest.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police established that the man was last seen alive by family members between 10 and 10:30 Friday night.

He was discovered by a relative who was clearing snow this afternoon. The cause of death has not been determined.

Blaze destroys building on East Side

Monday, December 24, 2012 by:John Burgeson

An early-morning blaze destroyed a one-story industrial building on Bridgeport's East Side Monday morning.

BRIDGEPORT – An early morning two-alarm fire destroyed an older one-story industrial building on the city’s East Side Monday.

Six engine and three ladder companies responded to the 3 a.m. blaze at 33 Knowlton St., which housed a woodworking company. Although some of the units were recalled at 7 a.m., it’s expected that firefighters will be on the scene for most of the day.

“It a woodworking and finishing company of some kind,” said Asst. West Side Chief Robert Morton, “so there are paints and solvents – thinks like that.”

He said the roof had collapsed, and the structure of the building was badly compromised.

“There are still a lot of pockets that we’ll have to get at,” he said.

One firefighter was injured and was taken to Bridgeport Hospital. The extent of his injuries was not immediately known, however.

Units from the Fairfield Fire Dept. were called in to cover for the units occupied on Knowlton St. The state Dept. of Environment Protection was called in to assess the situation, too, Morton said.

With charged hose lines snaking throughout the neighborhood, several streets were blocked off including a portion of East Washington Avenue, a vital east-west artery since the Congress Street Bridge was closed in January 1999. This upended bus routes and delayed people on their way to work.

A portion of Crescent Avenue was also blocked off.

Good Samaritan helps snuff Bridgeport house fire

Thursday, November 1, 2012 by:Brittany Lyte

Maurice Bacon was driving down Garfield Avenue in Bridgeport when he looked left and saw fire and smoke billowing from the second story porch of a three-family home.

He parked and jumped out of the car.

“Anybody in the house?” he hollered.

Running toward the front door, he saw three people on the burning porch throwing pots of water onto the flames.

Bacon ran into the house, filled up a pot with water from the kitchen sink faucet and helped the trio water down the fire.

“I hope somebody would do the same if it was my house,” said Bacon, who is 55 and lives in the city’s North End. “If we didn’t get up there and throw water, it would have been a lot worse.”

Joe Blakeman, a Sandy Hook resident who has been staying with friends at the Garfield Avenue home since the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, said no one was home when the fire started. He and two friends were returning to the house from the Trumbull Mall when they saw the front porch engulfed in smoke and fire. He said he thinks a nearby tangle of power lines battered by the storm ignited the fire.

Blakeman parked and ran into the house, kicking down the door to the second-story unit to reach the flames. He and his friends started splashing the fire with water to prevent it from spreading inside the home.

Without Bacon’s help, he said the damage would have been much worse.

Motorcyclist struck by car in Stratford

Thursday, August 2, 2012 by:Brittany Lyte

A motorcyclist was struck by a motor vehicle on Barnum Avenue near Bruce Avenue in Stratford about 6 p.m. Thursday.

Asst. Fire Chief John Conway said the victim was injured, but his injuries appeared to be non-life threatening.

No further information was available Thursday night.

Firework safety tips

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 by:Brittany Lyte

Press release from the Stratford Fire Marshal’s Office:

The term “firework” is commonly used to describe items such as bottle rockets, firecrackers, lady fingers, roman candles, etc. and ALL are illegal in Connecticut. Items such as snap poppers, party poppers, smoke bombs, snakes, etc. are considered novelties that would produce smoke, ash or small noise and are also not allowed under CT law.

Other items commonly known as M80s, M100, M1000, Cherry Bombs, Quarter Sticks, Blockbusters, etc. are generally illegally manufactured explosive devices that at the time are referred as firecrackers because of the way they look. These items will be considered explosive devices and possession of and/or manufacturing of such devices may result in felony criminal charges.

In 2010, U.S. hospitals treated an estimated 8,600 people for firework-related injuries, 73 percent of these injuries were related to children under the age of 15. With all the professional firework shows scheduled throughout the state, the last thing anyone wants to do on such a great holiday is to spend it in a hospital emergency room due to carelessness.

The items you may see throughout Connecticut stores are considered sparklers and fountains that are regulated by the State Fire Marshal and enforced mainly by the local fire marshals. Sparklers and fountains will come in many varieties that upon ignition will produce a shower of sparks without any explosions or aerial devices. It should be understood that sparklers and fountains are not to be used, purchased or sold by persons under the age of 16 and never to be used indoors.

Retired firefighters memorial set for Tuesday

Friday, June 1, 2012 by:Brittany Lyte

Press release:

On June 5th, the Stratford Fire Department will host the 29th annual Bridgeport Area Retired Firefighter’s Memorial. This year’s event will be held at St. James Church at 2110 Main St. in Stratford.

This service honors firefighters from area departments who have died in the line of duty, as well as retirees who have passed away over the the last year.

In addition to a memorial mass, there is a presentation of helmets by department honor guards.

The departmental procession steps off at 6:45 p.m.

Dog rescued from Fairfield house fire

Sunday, March 25, 2012 by:Brittany Lyte

Firefighters rescued a small dog from a burning home on Schiller Road in Fairfield about 4:15 p.m. Sunday.

A neighbor reported the fire, which started in the basement and filled the first story of the house with smoke, according to the Fire Department.

The basement was heavily damaged by the smoke and flames, but firefighters extinguished the blaze before it could cause significant damage to the first and second floors, the department said.

The homeowners, a young couple, were not home during the incident, according to the department.

“If the fire had not been reported quickly by an observant neighbor, the outcome would have been very different, especially for the family pet,” said Asst. Fire Chief George Gomola.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Firefighters knock down Stratford blaze

Sunday, March 25, 2012 by:Brittany Lyte

Firefighters knocked down a smokey kitchen fire at a Morehouse Avenue home about 1:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Stratford Fire Union.

The fire union said the blaze has spread beyond the kitchen when firefighters arrive on scene.

The fire was extinguished and there are no reported injuries, according to the union.

Page 1 of 612 3 4 5...Next »Last »