Resident Hospitalized After Kitchen Fire In Hamden

HAMDEN, CT — One person was hospitalized for smoke inhalation and five residents were displaced following a kitchen fire in an apartment at Regency Hill Condos, 302 Pine Rock Avenue, on Sunday, according to fire officials. Firefighters arrived at the complex at about 4 p.m. on Nov. 26 and reported smoke showing from one side of the building, according to Deputy Chief Gary Merwede.

Once inside the building, fire crews encountered “smoke banking down” in the second-floor hallway, according to Merwede. Crews searched all apartments on the second floor to ensure all residents had evacuated. The fire was located in unit B 13 and extinguished, according to Merwede.

“During suppression operations, windows were broken in two apartments for ventilation,” Merwede wrote in a press release. “The fire was contained to the apartment of origin, but as seen in the photo (below), smoke and products of combustion traveled throughout the second floor.

“Battalion Chief John Spencer declared the fire under control at (4:48 p.m.) and ordered the building to be metered for carbon monoxide and other gases before residents were allowed back to the unaffected units.”

One resident from the unit affected by the fire was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital for smoke inhalation treatment. Five total residents of the building were displaced, and are being assisted by the Red Cross for temporary housing, according to Merwede.

“Fire Marshal Brian Dolan concluded the kitchen fire was caused by ignited cooking oil, spreading to the cabinets, nearby walls and ceiling,” Merwede said. “Water from the suppression effort also damaged the unit directly below the fire.”

There were no reported injuries to firefighters.

Photos courtesy of the Hamden Fire Department