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The blaze broke out around 10:25 a.m., Friday, May 21 in Stamford at the Smyth Building Construction site on the corner of Tresser and Washington boulevards.
When firefighters responded to the scene they found heavy black smoke and fire coming from the roof of the building, said Stamford Fire Department Deputy Chief John Pritchard.
When the blaze began, some 12 workers were on scaffolding on the exterior of the building in the area directly underneath the fire but were all able to lower themselves to lower floors and self-rescue, said Pritchard.
Arriving FD units were faced with a daunting task in order to reach the area due to the state of construction and the limited access to the entire property, Pritchard noted.
Units proceeded to the roof where they found a fire in a large concrete trench that is apparently intended for plantings, said Pritchard.
Construction crews in the area at the time of the fire emptied 18 dry chemical fire extinguishers on the fire and when they ran out of extinguishers they began shoveling dirt on the fire.
"The brave actions of these workers undoubtedly saved the building from much more severe damage," Pritchard said.
The building fire control systems are also incomplete which hampered firefighting operations.
Firefighters were eventually able to get an adequate water supply to the roof and completed extinguishment and ensured that the fire did not extend beyond the area originally involved.
One firefighter was injured and was evaluated by Stamford EMS but did not require transport to the hospital.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Stamford Fire Marshal’s Office.
The project has been under construction since 2019 when the former affordable housing was torn down to be replaced with 414 apartments and mixed-use offices.
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