Flames are visible in this reader-contributed photo.
DERBY — No injuries were reported Wednesday morning after a vehicle lost control on Chatfield Street, veered off the road and burst into flames.
The driver, whose name was not available, said he blacked out near the entrance to the Derby High School/Middle School campus.
His car, which was heading toward Hawthorne Avenue, went off the road, hit a rock wall, narrowly missed several trees, and crashed into a chain-link fence atop a retaining wall next to the batting cages at the William “Red” Clynch Memorial Softball Field.
The driver said he remembered stopping at a stop sign, but did not remember crashing. He got out of the car, which was hanging off the retaining wall, just before the rear of the vehicle caught fire.
That touched off a small brush fire that headed toward a single-family home about 30 feet away.
The crash was reported at about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday (Nov. 20).
Derby firefighters responded quickly and were able to extinguish the flames, preventing damage to the house and the turf playing field, Derby Fire Department Assistant Chief Louis Oliwa said.
Jenn Moffat, the Derby Public Schools athletic director, was on scene to inspect the damage to the property.
Derby police are investigating.
A view of the fire from Nutmeg Avenue.
The crash happened as buses and parents were dropping off students at Derby High School. The Ansonia Fire Department responded to the scene as well. A house fire on Myrtle Street in Shelton was reported at the same time.
Tracy’s Garage of Water Street pulled the charred wreckage of the car from the woods.
