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The fire was reported at about 7:30 p.m. Friday by neighbors on Fairfield Beach Road who saw smoke and fire from the rear of a home across the creek.
Upon arrival, Lt. Brian McHugh reported heavy smoke and fire coming from underneath the Pine Creek Avenue home.
The house, like many on the shoreline in Fairfield, is raised up and supported on pillars to protect it from flood waters. The fire was burning underneath the home in an area used for storage, according to Assistant Fire Chief George Gomola.
"One of the dangers faced by firefighters in this fire was ... propane cylinders and gas cans stored under the building and encountered during the fire attack," said Gomola. "We ask residents to keep propane tanks and gas cans away from the building when possible."
Firefighters advanced a hose line and attacked the blaze underneath the home. The house, which was rapidly filling with smoke, was searched for occupants and pets. No one was home.
Firefighters used a power saw to gain access to the front of the building and more hose lines were set up to keep the fire from spreading to higher levels of the house.
Thermal-imaging cameras were used to check for hidden fires and to identify and extinguish hotspots. The coordinated fire attack confined the blaze to the underside and lowest level of the building, Gomola said. Ventilation minimized smoke damage to the second, third, and fourth floors of the house, he said.
"Our firefighters did an amazing job of reducing risk to adjacent homes by quickly and efficiently putting this fire out," said Assistant Fire Chief George Gomola. "The homes on Pine Creek Ave are very close together, and the quick extinguishment prevented the fire from endangering neighboring homes."
Fairfield Police assisted with the precautionary evacuation of a neighboring home, provided traffic control, and assisted with locating homeowners. AMR ambulance provided emergency medical standby at the scene.
The Westport Fire Department and Bridgeport Fire Department provided coverage during the fire.
The last fire unit left the scene at 10:30 p.m. No injuries were reported.
This blaze is under investigation by the Fairfield Fire Marshal's Office.
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