Valley Independent Sentinel

VIDEO: TRAGEDY ON FIFTH STREET

by Eugene Driscoll | Oct 3, 2009 10:20 am

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Posted to: Ansonia, Police

UPDATE: The police department released a statement Saturday morning confirming the names of the victims from Friday night’s fire on Fifth Street.

As of 10:30 a.m. Saturday, the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

An autopsy is scheduled Sunday for Rufus McMichael, 84. His wife, Laura, 81, is still listed in critical condition in Bridgeport Hospital.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to read this morning’s statement from police.

The following story was posted at 1:46 a.m. Saturday.

A fire, thought to be at least partly fueled by a oxygen tank, left one man dead and his wife in critical condition Friday night.

Emergency officials did not release the man’s name, but neighbors identified him as Rufus McMichael, a longtime city resident.

McMichael’s wife, Laura, who is confined to a wheelchair, was rescued from the fire but suffered serious injuries.

She was listed in critical condition late Friday night in the burn unit at Bridgeport Hospital.

The fire, at the intersection of Fifth and Star streets, was first reported at 6:50 p.m., according to Ansonia Fire Department Chief Michael Eheman.

Police and volunteer firefighters pulled the woman from the first floor of the large, two-story house, Eheman said (see video).

“The fire was very active at that point. The whole first floor was engulfed. The second (floor) was already starting to take off,” Eheman said.

Click here for photos from the fire.

Fire officials could not say where the fire started or what caused it.

The city fire marshal, along with state fire officials and the Ansonia Police Department, are investigating.

Eheman said the fire spread quickly and may have been helped by oxygen tanks used by one of the McMichaels.

“That, we believe, fed it somewhat,” Eheman said.

In addition, the old house, which appeared to be a two-family dwelling, featured balloon frame construction, which allowed the flames to travel up long empty spaces inside the walls and into the attic.

Rescue Efforts

Fifth Street is a densely populated neighborhood with a mix of single and multi-family houses.

Residents up and down the street watched the house burst into flames. At least five residents said they tried to rescue Mr. and Mrs. McMichael in the moments before emergency crews arrived.

According to witnesses, a female neighbor kicked open the front door, and three 17-year-old teens — Dillon Bortell, Jesse Bonavia and Alex Fuoco — went in the house.

“The back porch was on fire and it was just pouring smoke,” Bortell said.

The teens said they could not get far into the house due to the heavy smoke.

“We got down and we said ‘Mr. Michael, where are you?’” Bortell said. “We heard him yelling, but it was just too smoggy to get in.”

Chris Esteves, 22, of Ansonia, was driving down the street when he spotted the blaze (see video).

Esteves also ran into the house. Police officers arrived, screamed at the three teens to get away, and then entered the burning house.

Esteves described a hellishly chaotic scene inside.

“It was just black. You couldn’t see anything in there,” Esteves said.

He said he saw someone waving or throwing plates, as if trying to signal them.

“At first, I thought it was just something falling from the ceiling, then I told the cop . . . He was just grabbing stuff, then he grabbed the lady,” Esteves said.

Esteves said the woman’s face was covered in smoke. She was not communicative when they took her out, he said.

A police officer suffered a burn to his arm. He was treated and released from Griffin Hospital.

Eheman said at least one firefighter was taken to the hospital as well.

Tragedy

Some relatives of the McMichaels were at the scene, as firefighters searched for Mr. McMichael’s body.

Police broke the news to one relative on the sidewalk across the street.

Ansonia Alderman Robert Duffus said the family is well-known.

“He’s a great guy,” Duffus said of McMichael. “He’s a great, positive influence for kids in the neighborhood. It’s a real tragedy for our neighborhood.”

Police released the following statement Saturday morning. Click the link for a large-screen view.

16 Fifth Street Fire

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