ANSONIA – There were no injuries reported after a fire at a mixed-use building at 232 Main St. Tuesday (Sept. 8).
The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation. The address is home to Legacy Lounge and several apartments.
Firefighters received a call around 11:11 a.m. reporting smoke coming out of the building. Responding crews found a fire on the first floor, which houses the restaurant.
“We got here, we had a decent amount of smoke coming from the first floor, with occupants still on the second and third floor,” said Ansonia Deputy Fire Chief Anthony DeLucia, who led the response.
Firefighters, a public works employee, and police officers helped residents on the upper-story apartments escape from the burning building, DeLucia said. Firefighters on ladders opened apartment windows from outside to ventilate the building.
The fire was contained to the Legacy Lounge area on the first floor and its ceiling, according to DeLucia. Firefighters broke the front windows of the restaurant in order to aid ventilation.
The mixed-use, wood-frame building was built in 1860, according to city land records. DeLucia said the building’s age prompted firefighters to call a third-alarm fire, triggering a wide response from responding departments.
“We wanted to get equipment here fast, being an old building on Main Street. Main Street’s given us some pretty good fires back in the day, so I wanted to get the help here,” DeLucia said.
He said that while the building’s condition remains under investigation, he doesn’t see condemnation as a likely outcome.
Fire departments from Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, Oxford and Shelton aided in the response. Firefighters from Orange helped man the firehouses.
By around 11:54 a.m., the fire had been put out and responding crews were taking a break. A truck from Eversource pulled into the scene around that time.
