Main Street fire in Norwich displaces 10 residents
Norwich — Three firefighters suffered minor injuries and 10 residents and two businesses were displaced by a fire Tuesday afternoon at a historic Main Street building.
The fire started in the top floor porch of the rear apartment that faces Church Street at 12:51 p.m. Tuesday. The building at 102-110 Main St. dates to 1830 and has had multiple modifications over the centuries, making it difficult to fight the fire and easier for it to spread, Norwich fire officials said. When firefighters arrived, they found an occupant attempting to put out the fire with water buckets, Norwich Fire Chief Tracy Montoya said.
The fire extended up the fence and into the ceiling and roof of the upper two apartments prior to being fully extinguished at 1:06 p.m. The two upper apartments experienced moderate fire and water damage, while the two lower apartments and store fronts suffered water damage, fire officials said.
Building Official Dan Coley said the building’s sprinklers activated on the upper floors, and officials were waiting to see how much of that water damage seeps down to the lower floors. The building is owned by CPH 2 LLC of Lakewood, N.J.
Two firefighters suffered from the extreme heat and were transported to Backus Hospital for IV treatment, and a third firefighter suffered a foot injury from stepping on a nail, Montoya said. All three were treated and released.
Along with the 10 occupants, three cats, a rabbit and a guinea pig were rescued from one apartment, Montoya said. There were no injuries to tenants or pets.
The local chapter of the American Red Cross was on the scene offering emergency services to the displaced tenants, city Human Services Director Tara Booker said. She said her staff will start seeing displaced tenants on Wednesday to assess their long-term needs.
Along with the Norwich Fire Department, crews from the East Great Plain and Yantic volunteer departments in Norwich, the Mohegan Tribal department, American Ambulance, Norwich Public Utilities and the city building official responded. The Laurel Hill volunteer department in Norwich and Montville volunteer departments provided coverage for the city station until crews returned from the fire scene at 3:45 p.m., Montoya said.
The fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the fire.
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