A fire gutted the second floor of a two-family house on Ansonia’s North State Street Saturday (Sept. 21) afternoon before being knocked down by firefighters within minutes of their arrival on the scene.
There were no injuries reported. The cause and origin is under investigation.
About 20 firefighters from the city’s Webster Hose Hook and Ladder and Eagle Hose Hook and Ladder fire companies responded to the blaze, which was reported about 5:15 p.m.
Assistant Chief Edward Adamowski said Monday he was the first to arrive at the house — at 86 North State St. — and found “heavy fire” showing from the right side of the house facing the street.
Click here for photos from the scene sent to the Valley Indy by reader Laura Sevigny.
“I got out of my truck and went down to the residents there, and they were still unsure whether if there was anybody left inside the residence,” Adamowski said.
He then went into the second floor of the house to search for occupants, but could only remain inside for about 30 seconds due to the “intense fire and heat” before leaving the home and finding the resident thought missing in the home’s backyard.
By that time, other firefighters were arriving, and were able to knock down the fire within “five to seven minutes,” Adamowski said.
“We lucked out, the hydrant was actually right in front of the house,” Adamowski said.
“They made a very quick knockdown on the fire,” he said of the firefighters that responded to the blaze. “I’m very proud of my guys, they did a tremendous job.”
Jackie Eaton, a resident of the house, posted to the Valley Indy’s Facebook page Sunday saying her family was inside the house and had just finished dinner when they heard a “weird noise” before the fire started.
Eaton said her family “pretty much lost everything” in the blaze but thanked Ansonia’s first responders for their quickness and the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, and the family’s friends and neighbors for their compassion.
“Words can’t express enough we love you,” Eaton wrote.
The flames made the house uninhabitable, Adamowski said, but its residents were able to find temporary housing.
The Connecticut Red Cross reported Monday that it is helping six people from the home with food and clothing needs, but that they did not require housing assistance.
Adamowski said the damage from the fire was limited mostly to the second floor of the home.
“There was a tremendous amount of fire right in that one area,” he said. “It didn’t spread much further than what was actually burning when our guys got on scene.”
Adamowski said state officials responded to the scene to probe the cause of the blaze.
