Family Displaced, Firefighter Injured In 2-Alarm Fire In Hamden

HAMDEN, CT — A family was displaced from their home, and a firefighter was injured in a two-alarm fire in Hamden on Sunday, according to officials.

Crews responded around 9:05 p.m. to a house fire on Second Street in Hamden. Firefighters found smoke on the second floor with heavier smoke on the third floor, according to officials.

“Search crews were able to locate and safely evacuate a wheelchair bound resident,” officials wrote in a news release. “Engine crews began to search for the source of the fire and were able to find fire within the walls of the second-floor kitchen traveling up to the third floor and eaves of the balloon frame construction home. Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control quickly with an aggressive interior fire attack.

“Crews remained on scene for approximately three hours doing suppression and overhaul operations. Eight tenants were temporarily displaced due to water damage in the home. The American Red Cross, Hamden CERT Team, and Hamden Community Services provided aid and assistance to the displaced.”

One Hamden firefighter sustained minor injuries and was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, treated, and released, according to officials.

The North Haven and New Haven fire departments provided station coverage in Hamden during the fire, according to officials.

The Hamden Fire Marshal Office determined that the fire “originated in a second-floor kitchen outlet that had a freezer plugged into it,” according to the news release.

The American Red Cross is helping one family – two adults and one child – after the fire, according to a news release from the organization. The Red Cross provided assistance to meet the family's immediate needs, according to officials.

Red Cross responders included: Bill Weidner, Jay Kurczenski, Steve Drumheller and Kathy Wong, according to the news release.

“The Red Cross also provided a recovery envelope containing information helpful to families recovering from a fire, including tips on cleanup; notification of important contacts; dealing with damaged items and more,” officials wrote in the news release. “The Red Cross is also providing comfort kits containing personal care items such as deodorant, toothbrushes, shaving supplies and other items a resident might need when suddenly displaced from their home by a fire.

“Those affected will connect with Red Cross caseworkers in the coming days to work on a longer-term recovery plan.”