EAST HAVEN, CT -- A fire in East Haven has injured three firefighters and caused serious damage to a home.
The three firefighters do not have life-threatening injuries. However, one of those hurt was the fire chief himself.
East Haven and Branford firefighters responded to a 911 call to a blaze Wednesday morning.
When companies arrived at 250 Cozy Beach Avenue, fire officials bumped the call up from a one-alarm to a two alarm blaze.
Fire officials say the two women who live in the home managed to escape without injury. However, three firefighters did get hurt fighting the fire.
The blaze appears to have begun on the second floor and burned through the roof. East Haven Fire Chief Doug Jackson explains how one room exploded in flames as firefighters opened a second floor door.
"It kind of flashed over on us and knocked a couple of guys down the stairs," Jackson said. "I believe I have one guy in the hospital getting checked out for possible fractured ribs. Another went down the stairs on his back. I'll be going next, I think I have an ankle problem."
Chief Jackson was very modest about the injury.
There was a powerline to the house that burned away and as the line came down firefighters quickly reacted to get out of the way. That left Chief Jackson all by himself on a pressurized fire line for a while. The line actually flipped the chief over. We're told his ankle injury is a mild sprain.
