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A photo from the Echo Hose Hook & Ladder Co. Facebook page showing the scene of a fire at 412 Howe Ave. in Shelton.
Eleven downtown Shelton residents were displaced by a fire Saturday night that killed three animals.
Two firefighters were treated for dehydration and exhaustion at the scene, but there were no other injuries.
The Red Cross assisted the displaced residents with temporary lodging, according to fire officials.
The fire was reported about 11:54 p.m. at 412 Howe Ave., a building at the corner of Howe Avenue and Center Street that houses several businesses with several apartments above them.
A resident of one of the apartments called 911 to report smoke in his building, then notified other the other people in the building at the time, who were outside by the time firefighters arrived.
The four businesses — City Stylez barber shop, Little Petting Zoo, Formal Massage, and M & T Nail Salon — have all been closed for the time being.
Shelton Fire Marshal James Tortora is investigating the cause of the fire. He said Monday it appears to have been unintentional, but no official ruling has been made.
The blaze began on the first floor of the petting zoo, Tortora said.
“It burned through the floor then the fire went underneath the floor and started getting into the hairdresser but it stopped before it got too far,” Tortora said.
All of the storefronts sustained smoke damage, as did the apartments above the businesses.
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Four businesses have been shuttered temporarily by a fire reported 11:54 p.m. June 16 at 412 Howe Ave., Shelton.
As of Monday afternoon the doors to the building were padlocked and blocked with plywood, with unsafe occupancy notices posted by Joseph Ballaro, the city’s building official.
Tortora said the building will hopefully be open again before long.
“There’s really no structural damage,” Tortora said. “There was some fire damage to where the fire started that will have to be cleaned and rebuilt, but nothing that’s major.”
When firefighters arrived they found smoke coming from the petting zoo, Shelton Fire Department Chief Fran Jones said.
“Fortunately, many of the other residents were out for the evening and had not returned home yet, so the human life hazard was greatly reduced,” Jones said. “The next priority was then saving all the pets in the petting zoo.”
Firefighters managed to save the vast majority of the animals, but a chinchilla and two parakeets died of smoke inhalation, Jones said.
The rest of the animals were transported to the VCA Shoreline Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center by the Connecticut Emergency Animal Response Service (EARS), a nonprofit group of volunteers that responds to animal emergencies.
In a Facebook post, the group said its members were called to the scene about 2 a.m. Sunday.
“We found over two dozen animals that the fire department had removed from the location and established a safe area for,” the Facebook post said. “The animals ranged from turtles and lizards to mice and gerbils. Our team conducted brief visual assessments on each animal, labeled them, and packaged them for transport off-site.”
Jones said EARS was very helpful to firefighters, and also credited Echo Hose Ambulance Assistant Chief Joe Laucella for working to ensure firefighters and the building’s residents were cared for well.
Jones said Deputy Fire Marshal Kevin Lantowsky is following up with the displaced residents to assist them with services.
The building’s age and construction made the fire difficult to put out for good, Jones said.
“From the barber shop to the nail salon it’s a common basement,” Jones said. “(The fire) created a smoke condition on numerous floors and some fire extension from the basement up into the first floor through the walls.”
“Once it gets into the walls, there’s a lot of overhaul and searching for the fire so you actually get all the hotspots, and that’s very labor-intensive — opening up the various walls and floors to find out where the fire had traveled,” Jones said.
About 65 firefighters from Shelton’s Echo Hose, Pine Rock, and White Hills volunteer fire companies, as well as the Derby Fire Department responded to the scene.
Firefighters from Huntington volunteer fire company provided station coverage in case other calls came in.
