Fire Victim From Enfield Dies at Hospital

ENFIELD, CT — A woman who was rescued from her burning house in Enfield Friday afternoon has died of complications, a fire department official confirmed.

The 72-year-old woman, who lived at 255 Pearl Street with her younger sister, died Tuesday morning in the burn center at Bridgeport Hospital. Her sister notified fire officials of the death, according to Enfield Fire Chief Ed Richards.

She had initially vacated the structure on her own, and was transported to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., before being transferred to Bridgeport, Richards said.

The victim's name has not yet been released, pending notification of next of kin. An official cause of death has not yet been determined, but Richards said he believes "exposure to superheated toxic products of combustion" may have been a contributing factor.

The blaze erupted around 3:35 p.m. Friday in a Cape Cod-style house at the corner of Pearl Street and Riverdale Road. Audio transmissions from the scene indicate one of the two women was originally believed to be inside a first-floor room in the burning structure.

Richards said the fire began in the first-floor den near the center of the house, and spread upward into the attic. A strong wind caused the flames to move quickly, "just like a blowtorch."

Firefighters had the blaze under control within 30 minutes, but hot spots remained for some time afterward, Richards said.

The house has been deemed uninhabitable. Investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing.

Photo credit: Lisa Ellis
Video credit: Scott Prentiss