Boy Critically Injured, 4 Firefighters Hospitalized In 3-Alarm Fire In Meriden

MERIDEN, CT — Two good Samaritans are being credited with helping to save a Meriden family from a three-alarm fire that critically injured a boy and sent four firefighters to the hospital, according to FOX 61.

The fire broke out around 4 p.m. on Saturday in a three-story home at the corner of Broad Street and Bunker Avenue in Meriden, according to officials.

FOX 61 reports plumbers James Sadlowski and Dylan Saradeth were turning the corner when they saw a porch engulfed in flames and used their tools to break in and rescue a family inside.

The pair helped a mother and children escape, but conditions were too dangerous when they realized someone was left inside on the top floor, according to FOX 61. Fire crews were able to pull the boy out using a ground ladder, FOX 61 reported.

Meriden Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Dunn said the male victim, who was discovered unconscious on the third floor of the burning structure, was listed in critical but stable condition on Sunday at Jacobi Medical Center in Bronx, NY, where he is receiving hyperbaric treatment, according to a news release on the City of Meriden’s Facebook page.

Three Meriden firefighters were initially hospitalized with various injuries, including burns, cardiac issues, and smoke inhalation, according to the news release. Dunn later reported that a fourth firefighter was sent to Bridgeport Hospital for treatment for burns to his head and ears.

The two firefighters, who sustained burns, have been released from the hospital but will require further treatment from specialists, according to officials. They are recovering at home.

“The two other firefighters that were transported as a result of smoke inhalation and cardiac exertion were treated, released and cleared to return to work for their next scheduled shift,” the news release reads. “And Deputy Chief Dunn emphasized there were civilians, who broke a rear door down and pulled people to safety, who were true heroes. The Meriden Fire Department thanks them for their brave assistance.

“Upon arrival, firefighters found heavy fire issuing from the side porch of the three-story wood frame home. And the fire was rapidly spreading through the first and second floor. The civilians, who were able to rescue some, told firefighters that an occupant was trapped on the third floor.

“Firefighters attempting to reach the third floor by way of the interior stairs were pushed back by heavy fire conditions that resulted in two firefighters being burned. At that point, two other firefighters extended a 35 foot ground ladder and made entry through a third-floor window and removed the unconscious victim down that ladder, providing emergency medical care while transferring the victim to a waiting ambulance.”

Crews from the Berlin, Middletown, New Britain, Southington, and Wallingford fire departments assisted in battling the fire, which remains under investigation.

The American Red Cross is providing assistance to the family of five – two adults and three children – who were displaced from their home by the fire, according to officials.

Read the full story at FOX 61 here.