New Haven Register, Conn.
(TNS)
Dec. 26—SOUTHINGTON — Two firefighters are safe after calling a "mayday" while battling an early-morning blaze that displaced five residents of a Howard Avenue home on Thursday, officials say.
Southington Deputy Fire Chief Glenn Dube said crews responded to the blaze around 3:15 a.m. and found a basement fire with heavy smoke throughout the single-family home.
The fire originally started in a basement light fixture and quickly became intense as firefighters inside the two-story home decided to evacuate due to deteriorating conditions, according to a news release from the fire department. During the evacuation, two firefighters became disoriented in the high heat and "zero visibility on the first floor" and called for a "mayday," the release said.
At that point, firefighters called for backup from other towns and verbally guided the firefighters who were disoriented outside to safety before other town agencies could arrive, the release said.
The five occupants of the home were able to get out safely, fire officials said.
A second alarm was called shortly after the first crews arrived with firefighters from Bristol, Meriden, Cheshire, New Britain and Plainville helping to battle the blaze at the scene, Dube said.
No one was injured, he said.
He said the icy conditions "complicated operations."
"The hose lines were freezing," he said.
Firefighters were slipping on the ice, but there were no injuries due to falls, he said.
The blaze appears to have started in an electrical fixture in the basement, the news release said. The cause is still under investigation, Dube said.
Crews didn't leave the area until about 9:30 a.m., Dube said.
Southington Community Services and the American Red Cross are helping the family who was displaced, the release said.
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