Fire Severely Damages Stratford Home, Displaces 4

Four people are displaced after a fire broke out this morning at 215 Garibaldi Ave.

Carissa Monginho, who lives there with her boyfriend and his two grandparents, said she was watching TV on the second floor of the three-story house when she heard screaming from the floor above.

Monginho said her boyfriend walked toward the back of the house and was hit with a cloud of smoke. It was at that point when everyone ran outside to safety, she said.

"It started outside the house on the third floor and spread to the kitchen on the second floor," Monginho said. "We think it was electrical."

Fire consumed the whole back of the house, worked its way into the third floor and out the attic, said Stratford Fire Marshal Brian Lampart.

"It took several hose lines," Lampart said. "We had all our units and a Milford engine."

The fire was called in at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Lampart said it took about 35 minutes to knock down. He said no firefighters reported any injuries.

It's unclear what started it, but Lampart said the investigation into the fire will concentrate on the outside rear of the home.