Fire Rips Through Multi-Family Home In Stamford: Fire Department

STAMFORD, CT — A fire ripped through a multi family home on the West Side of Stamford early Thursday morning before it was put under control by responding units, according to a news release form the Stamford Fire Department.

One firefighter suffered minor injuries and did not need medical treatment, the SFD said.

At 5 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to multiple reports of a structure fire on Fairfield Avenue on Stamford's West Side. Firefighters from the West Side Fire Station, located one block away, arrived in less than a minute, Deputy Chief Matt Palmer said in a news release.

"This was a fast-moving fire that involved the entire rear of a large multi-family home in the very early morning hours," Palmer said. "If it were not for the immediate actions of the first-arriving firefighters from the West Side Fire Station, this fire would have quickly extended to several adjacent structures and placed numerous additional lives at risk."

Firefighters found a large volume of fire that had already extended to all three floors and the attic space of the multi-family home, the SFD said. In addition, the radiant heat from the fire was damaging two adjacent multi-family homes.

The fire was elevated to a second alarm.

Firefighters immediately deployed large diameter hose lines and were able to quickly contain most of the visible fire where the flames began, the SFD said. Additional arriving units helped control fire that was extending up a rear interior staircase to all levels of the home.

The fire was contained within the initial 20 minutes of the response, and it was placed under control within 35 minutes of the first units' arrival, according to the SFD.

The Stamford Fire Department Mechanical Division, Stamford Fire Department Training Division, Stamford Emergency Medical Services, and the Stamford Police Department were on scene to provide support. A total of 45 personnel responded to the fire, the SFD said.

The Stamford Fire Marshal's Office, the Connecticut State Police Fire Marshal's Office, and the SPD are investigating the cause and origin of the fire.