Investigators know where Tuesday’s night house fire on Summit Street started, but how it started remains a mystery.
Meanwhile, a group of local military veterans set up a “Go Fund Me“ page to help the people who lost everything in the fire. Click here to contribute.
The fire displaced five people from three apartments within a 105-year-old, 2,300 square-foot multi-family house at 24 Summit St.
One dog died in the fire.
Derby Fire Marshal Phil Hawks was at the scene until late Tuesday, and returned Wednesday to take additional photographs and to interview tenants.
Hawks said the fire started on an outside porch, most likely on the first floor of the two-story structure. But the cause is undetermined.
“Right now, we don’t have an actual cause,” Hawks said. “We have the location, but not the cause.”
Hawks said he is leaning toward determining the fire accidental, as opposed to deliberately set.
“The investigation is open. You never know if you’ll get some information that may end up closing the case,” Hawks said.
There were four apartments in the home. Firefighters and EMS were sent to scene at about 5:40 p.m. Tuesday.
The home suffered extensive damage.
Meanwhile, Derby resident Mario Dias contacted the Valley Indy Wednesday and said a “Go Fund Me“ page had been set up to help the tenants.
Dias is a longtime friend of Jim Rizzio, one of the tenants whose apartment was destroyed in the fire. Rizzio’s dog, Charger, was rescued from the fire by Derby volunteer firefighters.
Click here for a previous Valley Indy story.
Dias and Rizzio are both in their mid-to-late 20s and have been friends since their days at Ansonia Middle School.
They’re both Army veterans and attend Naugatuck Community College, where they are members of the “Veterans Oasis.”
The Oasis is a room within the campus student center meant as a place where student military veterans can meet, study and network, according to college’s website.
Dias said a group of fellow military vets from the Oasis set up the “Go Fund Me“ web page.
Money raised from the website will be given to the all tenants displaced by the fire, Dias said.
“Everybody in that home lost everything. One of the families lost a pet. Their lives are torn apart right now,” Dias said. “But I think we’re a pretty good community and we need to show it.”
