Fire Destroys New London Home, Damages Another

NEW LONDON, CT — A home was badly damaged in a fire early Tuesday morning in New London. An ambulance returning from an emergency call spotted spoke in the area of Broad Street at 1:54 a.m.

Crews found a single-family home on Vauxhall Street was on fire, according to fire officials.

Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire throughout the ranch-style home.

Because of the fire's intensity, crews started by fighting the fire from outside the home, knocking down most of the flames. They then moved inside the home to extinguish the blaze.

There were no injuries reported.

"The damage to the home is significant, may be a total loss," Fire Chief Vernon Skau said.

A neighboring home was also damaged by the heat of the fire.

It was unclear how many people were displaced by the fire.

The Waterford, Submarine Base, Poquonnock Bridge, and Electric Boat fire departments provided assistance in fighting the fire. The East Lyme and Groton City fire departments helped with station coverage. Lawrence + Memorial paramedics and Groton provided EMS help.

The New London Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

"The alertness of the ambulance crew in investigating the smoke led to the discovery of the fire, and the rapid response by firefighters prevented it from spreading to nearby buildings," Skau said in a statement.