Firefighter Injured, 20 Displaced After Apartment Complex Blaze

EAST HAVEN, CT —A house fire late Wednesday afternoon sent a firefighter to the hospital with a severe arm injury, East Haven fire chief Matt Marcarelli said.

At around 4:50 p.m., Marcarelli said firefighters were dispatched to a Green Garden Court apartment complex for "heavy" fire on the first and second floors. He said two people inside the home were injured.

East Haven Police Department Capt. Joseph Murgo said that a number of 911 calls came in from neighbors reporting a large structure fire. Officers Joe Carangelo and Julio Gil-Martinez, who were in the immediate area, got there first and found a "fully involved unit."

Murgo said Carangelo and Martinez were able to get one person out of the apartment, and they were taken to Yale New Haven Hospital for evaluation. Another resident made it out on their own before officers got there. Murgo said a woman who lived in the unit was found to have several unrelated active arrest warrants and was taken into custody at the scene.

The firefighter was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital for treatment. Murgo said he is listed as stable condition.

And because the building suffered extensive damage, and apartment units on either side were damaged, 20 residents were suddenly homeless. Marcarelli said they're being helped by the American Red Cross.

Murgo said the East Haven Fire Marshal, East Haven Police Investigative Services Division and The CT State Police Fire Marshal are all on scene investigating. And he asked that anyone who may have witnessed the moments leading up to the blaze are asked to contact us at 203-468-3820.

When firefighters arrived, Marcarelli said, they stretched a hose line and quickly extinguished the fire.

"Faced with an injured member and two injured civilians," Marcarelli said firefighters were, "undeterred in their efforts to make sure the fire was kept in check and extinguished rapidly."

"They did an outstanding job as usual," the fire chief said about firefighters. "Conditions were challenging but they persevered as expected. The public doesn’t ask much, just that they report for duty and occasionally are expected to risk their lives."