Connecticut Postings

STRATFORD — A natural gas explosion sparked a large fire Saturday that engulfed two floors of a single-family home on Light Street.

Police said the residents at 555 Light Street were not home when the fire started in the back of the home about 2:30 p.m.

“It sounded like firecrackers going off: ‘boom’, ‘boom’, ‘boom,’” said Susan Martino, 48, a resident of Light Street. Then she saw smoke.

“It was a pretty big fire,” she said. “We saw smoke and then we saw the fire changing colors.”

Martino said she thinks an older couple reside at the home.

At 4 p.m., firefighters had knocked down the blaze. As they guzzled bottled water on the front lawn, spectators gathered to glimpse the scene: a home with shattered glass windows and a heavily damaged front porch.

A firefighter on scene said authorities were still trying to contact the homeowners.

Emergency crews rescued a driver trapped in his vehicle on Struges Road in Fairfield early Saturday morning.

Police said the male driver struck a utility pole, which caused the vehicle to flip on its side about 7:30 a.m.

Police said the man was not injured.

Photo contributed by Stratford Fire Union

Stratford firefighters knocked down a smoky attic fire in a duplex home at 38 Priscilla Lane about 12:15 p.m. Saturday.

Firefighters removed roofing from the wood framed home and quickly knock down the blaze, according the the Stratford Fire Union.

Shelton and Derby firefighters rescued two boaters stranded on the Housatonic River in a broken-down vessel about 12:20 p.m. Saturday.

A kayaker passing by the stranded boaters pulled the boat halfway across the river toward the Derby shore near the River Walk, Shelton Fire Department Public Information Officer Nick Verdicchio said. Firefighters responding to the incident then toed the boat out of the water, he said. There were no injuries.

Derby firefighters assisted the Shelton team in the rescue because one of Shelton’s rescue boats is out of service, Verdicchio said.

Stratford firefighters trained on the water Friday to prep for the start of boating season.

Photo contributed by the Stratford firefighter’s union

I rode along with WWII veteran and pilot Jim Fontana as we were guests aboard a flight of the B-17 Flying Fortress “Yankee Lady” on Friday. Here’s the view from the front nose as we landed at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford. Rides on the “Yankee Lady” will be available to the public at the airport this Tuesday and Wednesday.

Press release:

The Stratford Library now subscribes to two new online resources for students.

Tumblebooks is an online storybook site that will read books aloud to young children and allow older children to read along.  Tumblebooks builds vocabulary and literacy skills and is available anytime through the Library’s website.  

World Book Online combines a traditional encyclopedia with maps, photos, and current events and can be used for homework and personal reference.  It features three different reference tools for learners of all ages.  Information can even be translated into 30 different languages including Spanish, Polish, and Chinese.

These resources are available through the Library’s website and are free of charge to any Stratford resident with a valid Library card.  For further information, call the Stratford Library Children’s Department at 203.385.4165.

The Stratford Library, 2203 Main Street in Stratford, Connecticut will hold its annual book sale Thursday, June 2 through Sunday, June 5, 2011.  The sale, which is a major fund-raiser for the library, is being organized this year by the SLA Board of Trustees under Co-chairmen Karla Glad and Shelley Hall of Stratford. 

Browsers at this year’s sale will find thousands of books, videos and audio tapes at bargain prices covering every conceivable subject from religion, business, music and art to philosophy, science fiction, biography, non-fiction and best-sellers.  The initial sale will commence with a “Preview Night” on Thursday, June 2 from 5:30-8:30 pm.  It is free and open to the public with all books double the marked price.

The general book sale will continue on Friday, June 3 from 9 am – 7 pm and Saturday, June 4 from 9 am – 6 pm.  Saturday’s sale will be held in conjunction with Stratford’s Main Street Festival.  On Sunday, June 5 the library will offer a “Half-Price Sale” on all remaining books from 9 am – 2 pm and $5 a bag from 2:30 – 4 pm.

For further information, call the Stratford Library at 203.385.4161 or visit its website at: www.stratfordlibrary.org.