The blaze started in Danbury just after 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 17 on Locust Avenue.
Arriving firefighters found a 3-story, multi-family home with heavy smoke emitting from multiple sides, said Capt. Kevin Lunnie of the Danbury Fire Department.
As crews made entry into the home they found a significant fire in the basement extending into the upper floors, Lunnie said.
Occupants reported multiple individuals unaccounted for, prompting an immediate upgrade to a second alarm for additional resources, he added.
Multiple companies conducted a thorough search of the large home while other companies performed fire attack operations on multiple floors.
Fortunately, a complete search revealed that all occupants had evacuated before the fire department's arrival and the decision was made to shift all firefighters to the outside due to fire in numerous void spaces, Lennis said.
After fighting the fire from outside, crews were able to reenter the home and put out the rest of the fire.
During the incident, one firefighter sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to the hospital; they have since been released, the captain said.
No civilians were injured, however, 14 people were displaced due to the condition of the home. Emergency Management and the Red Cross were on site, coordinating relief efforts for those affected.
The department thanked mutual aid from the following fire departments:
- Bethel
- Brookfield
- New Fairfield
- Ridgefield
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