WeHa Condo Blaze Displaces Occupants: WHFD

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A kitchen fire at a local condominium Sunday afternoon spread enough inside to displace the unit's occupants, according to the West Hartford Fire Department.

No injuries were reported in the blaze on Kane Street, but a pet cat was taken to the veterinarian as a precaution, according to West Hartford Fire Department Chief Greg Priest.

According to the WHFD, the call came in at about 12:46 p.m. Sunday, with a report of smoke and fire inside the condo.

Priest said, when the first WFHD units arrived at the fourth-floor unit, an "active fire" was seen in the kitchen area.

He said firefighters quickly searched the unit and the building and determined everyone had gotten out safely.

Priest said no other units were damaged or impacted by the fire.

According to authorities, the WHFD was able to quickly knock down the blaze and the scene was under control by 1:02 p.m.

Priest said one condominium occupant was "evaluated for minor illness" related to the blaze, but eventually declined transport.

"The condo unit of origin was deemed uninhabitable, and as such, the Red Cross was summoned to provide assistance to the occupants of the unit affected by the fire," wrote Priest in a WHFD statement.

He said the blaze was tended to by four of the WHFD's five companies, as well as American Medical Response units and the West Hartford Police Department.

Priest also credited the West Hartford dispatch in helping get firefighters to the scene quickly, saving property and, perhaps, lives.

"As with many of our incidents, our dispatchers in the West Hartford Emergency Reporting Center facilitated a timely and efficient response," he said.

Authorities said the American Red Cross is working with the unit's occupants to help them recover from the fire.

"Fires are very impactful and emotional events for those directly and indirectly affected," Priest said. "Our thoughts are with the occupants displaced from the condo unit and we deeply appreciate the partnership and response of the American Red Cross who minimizes the impact."

Priest also noted the fire's timing, daylight saving time, when folks are urged to change the batteries in their smoke detectors.

"It is a good reminder, in the face of such an event, to remember that smoke detectors save lives, and changing batteries and testing smoke detectors is critical," he said.

The West Hartford Fire Marshal's office is investigating the fire's cause.

From March 11: 'Two West Hartford Fires Prompt WHFD Community Response'