Fallen North Haven Firefighter Mourned, New Details Emerge

NORTH HAVEN, CT — The firefighting community and beyond is mourning the death of North Haven Firefighter Matthias Wirtz, who died Monday while battling a two-alarm residential fire on Quinnipiac Avenue in North Haven.

Wirtz, 46, was a 22-year veteran of the North Haven Fire Department who responded to the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to fire officials.

Crews responded to a multi-family residential apartment on Quinnipiac Avenue shortly after 1 a.m. on Dec. 26 on the report of a fire. The first-arriving crews saw heavy smoke coming from the rear of the building and mounted an “aggressive interior fire attack with a hose line,” officials wrote in a news release.

A second alarm was requested along with additional units from East Haven and surrounding towns, according to the news release.

A “mayday” was issued during the fire attack for a firefighter down, officials said.

Wirtz was found outside the building while operating a fire engine and was treated by fire units and ambulance personnel at the scene, according to officials. He was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital where he later died.

The New Haven Register reports Wirtz was working to pump water and stretch a hose line when he apparently collapsed on the ground.

The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office said Wirtz died from heart disease, including hypertension due to high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries and an abnormal heart valve, according to the Register.

The cause of the fire, which displaced 13 people, is being investigated by the Connecticut State Police Fire Investigation Unit.

Wirtz, a Notre Dame-West Haven graduate, started his career as a volunteer firefighter with North Haven’s North East Volunteer Fire Company in 1996. He was a decorated member of the North Haven Fire Department who received numerous letters of commendation and worked to seek educational opportunities including Hazardous Materials Technician, Aerial operations and fire investigation, according to the news release.

“The North Haven Fire Department wants to thank our neighboring departments for the outpouring of support during this difficult time as well as fire station coverage,” North Haven Fire Chief Paul Januszewski said in a statement.

Thomas Haggerty, president of the North Haven Professional Firefighters Association, said Tuesday that the past two days have been the “most difficult 48 hours in our association’s history.”

“Matt was my friend and our brother, a private person to most, he was one of the kindest and most light hearted people you could ever meet,” Haggerty said in a statement on Facebook. “His presence inside and out of the firehouse is irreplaceable. While Matt’s family, our members, and all the people that Matt has impacted grieve and begin to process his loss, I want to thank several organizations that have begun to help us through this process.”

Haggerty listed the following organizations: The International Association of Firefighters, The Uniformed Professional Firefighters Association of CT, North Haven Police Department, New Haven Fire Department / Local 825, New Haven Police Department, Hamden Fire Department / Local 2687, East Haven Fire Department / Local 1205, UCONN Fire Department / Local S-15, Yale New Haven Police Department, Connecticut State Police, Nelson Ambulance Service, New Haven Emerald Society, Connecticut Peer Support Network.

“I would also like to personally thank the North Haven Community and local restaurants for the incredible donations of food,” Haggerty said. “The local presidents that have reached out over the past 2 days and the countless departments that helped guide Matt to Farmington today. Your support and generosity will never be forgotten.”

In an update Tuesday night, Januszewski said Wirtz’s body will be escorted from the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office back to North Haven by a small contingent of North Haven Fire Department members. The procession will be leaving Farmington around 12 noon on Wednesday, Dec. 28 and will travel back to the North Haven Funeral Home.

Januszewski said the cause of the fire remains under investigation by the CT State Police Fire Investigation unit in cooperation with the North Haven Fire Marshal’s Office.

Funeral services are still being finalized, and an announcement will be released as soon as possible once details are confirmed, according to Januszewski.