DERBY — The fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of a fire that was reported just before dawn on Sunday (Sept. 11).
There were no major injuries reported, although one firefighter was getting evaluated by EMS for possible dehydration. Update: one firefighter was taken to the hospital for evaluation after being attacked by a dog, according to a post on the Derby Fire Department Facebook page.
Firefighters and EMS were sent to a multi-family house at 39 Spring St. at about 5:45 a.m. after receiving a report of smoke in the building.
The first firefighters on scene saw heavy smoke coming from the attic area of the 2.5‑story structure. The house has three apartments.
A resident from one of the apartments said he woke up to smoke filling his apartment, then heard the sound of arriving fire trucks. The people in all three apartments were able to get out. One resident grabbed her cat and placed him in a parked car on the street while firefighters fought the blaze.
The bulk of the fire was in a crawl space within the attic that was difficult to reach.
“It was a lot of hand labor. It’s all pulling ceilings. The only way for us to access the fire in this building was to pull the ceilings down, firefighter Jesse Marino, the Derby Fire Department’s safety officer, said.
Shelton, Orange and Ansonia crews also responded.
The house was on Spring Street, a short walk from the Seymour Avenue side of Griffin Hospital.
