Two people were taken to the hospital after an overnight fire at a three-story home on Park Avenue in Derby Saturday.
The initial reports stated the people had smoke inhalation. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known Saturday morning.
(Update: One of the residents was in critical condition as of Saturday night.)
The fire was reported just before 4 a.m.
Arriving firefighters were greeted with heavy smoke coming from the residence and flames shooting out the first-floor side windows.
The emergency calls listed the address as 127 Park Ave., which is off Roosevelt Drive near D Street.
“Initially there was a report that someone was trapped inside,” said Derby Fire Department Assistant Chief Thomas Lenart, Jr.
Luckily, that turned out not to be true, as the two residents were found outside a neighbor’s house.
They were the only two people in the two-family apartment house, Lenart said. The apartment on the second floor was vacant.
One person escaped through a first-floor window while the other made it out through a door, Lenart said.
The bulk of the fire was contained to the first floor.
The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen. The kitchen was gutted by fire as were several rooms on the first floor, Lenart said.
The house is uninhabitable.
The fire marshal is investigating the cause.
The video above contains audio from the initial emergency radio dispatches.
Fire and EMS from Shelton responded to the scene, along with Ansonia ambulance. A Seymour ambulance was put on standby at Tri-Town Plaza in Seymour to cover any additional calls for service.
Park Avenue is densely populated and the homes are very close to each other on small lots.
“The firefighters did a great job here keeping the fire from extending to the rest of the home,” Lenart said.
A check of online assessor’s information show the house was built in 1888. Russell Lindner is listed as the owner.
