Woman, Girl Killed, 3 Firefighters Injured In Overnight Norwich Blaze

NORWICH, CT — Investigators this morning are probing the cause of a fatal early morning fire on Otis Street which claimed two lives and injured three firefighters.

Firefighters were summoned to the house, at 37-39 Otis St., around 1 a.m. Thursday, and fire officials said a malfunction caused a delayed response from the Norwich Fire Department.

Two people were killed, including a woman and a young girl. It is a multi-family dwelling, officials said.

The names and ages of the two victims are being withheld until next of kin can be notified, said Michael A. Dziavit, battalion chief for the Norwich Fire Department.

Norwich Public Schools Superintendent Susan Lessard said in a message to the school district, “It is with profound sorrow that I share heartbreaking news affecting our school community. A devastating house fire recently took the lives of one of our students and her mother. Our thoughts and prayers are with their family and loved ones during this unimaginable time.”

The fire is under investigation by the Norwich Fire Marshals in cooperation with the Connecticut State Police due to the fatalities, Dziavit said. Investigators were still on scene early Thursday afternoon, and fire officials said it is unclear how long it will take to determine the cause of the fire.

The Norwich Fire Department, East Great Plain Fire Department and the Yantic Fire Department were dispatched at 12:58 a.m. to the scene for a reported possible structure fire, according to Dziavit.

A working fire was declared after Norwich police arrived on scene, which brought in the Mohegan Tribal Fire Department, he said.

“A malfunction occurred for alerting the Norwich Fire Department of an emergency,” Dziavit said, in a press release. “This malfunction delayed the Norwich Fire Department response.”

Ladder 5 from the East Great Plain Fire Department arrived on scene first at 1:08 a.m., and reported fire on the second floor, he said.

Norwich Battalion 1 arrived at 1:09 a.m., and they were advised of two people unaccounted for on the second floor of the building, Dziavit said.

Firefighters began search and rescue operations to find the two people.

According to fire officials, the conditions in the rear of the building continued to deteriorate, and firefighters added more hoselines to battle the blaze.

“Despite the efforts of search and rescue crews, the two people could not be located during the initial attempts and tragically, were later confirmed deceased,” Dziavit said, in the news release.

Conditions deteriorated to the point that all firefighting personnel were removed from the building, he said.

Firefighters used additional hoselines and aerial master streams to protect neighboring buildings and to knock down the large volume of fire.

Once the fire was under control, around 4:28 a.m., crews went back inside the building for final extinguishment, he said.

Three Norwich firefighters received minor injuries.

Battalion Chief Pat Curtin said when the alert went out from dispatch, it was not received at the career firehouses for approximately three to four minutes.

“That delay is under review,” he said.

The malfunction and delay are being investigated by both the Norwich police department and the fire department, according to Curtin.

The American Red Cross is assisting six people who were displaced from the building because of the fire.

Firefighters from Taftville, Yantic, Occum, Preston, Mohegan Pequot, New London and Willimantic also assisted, as did Norwich Public Utilities, Norwich Police Department, and Salvation Army Canteen.

According to Lessard, the school district is making support services available to help students and staff cope following the tragedy.

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely to provide the care and guidance our community needs,” Lessard said, in the message to the district. “Please keep this family in your hearts and prayers. We will share additional information and any opportunities to support the family as they become available.”

Check back for updates.