Victim Of West Rocks Road Fire In Norwalk Identified: Fire Department

NORWALK, CT — The man killed Saturday in a fire on West Rocks Road in Norwalk was the home's owner, Frederick Bassler, according Norwalk fire officials.

"The cause is still under investigation," wrote Norwalk Assistant Fire Chief Gino Gatto in an email to Patch. "As a result of the investigation, we believe that Mr. Bassler tried to extinguish the fire himself before attempting to exit the house. There were no working smoke detectors in the house as far as we can determine."

The fire was reported at about 1:15 p.m., and firefighters battled the blaze for a couple of hours due to hoarding conditions inside the home, according to officials.

Photo credit: Norwalk Fire Department via Facebook