| Three-alarm fire damages five Norwalk stores |
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Three-alarm fire damages five Norwalk stores
Updated On: Nov 12, 2008 (19:59:00)
Three-alarm fire damages five Norwalk stores
By ROBERT KOCH
and STEVE KOBAK
Hour Staff Writers
An early morning blaze Monday heavily damaged several businesses inside the Marshalls Plaza at 396 Westport Ave., but spared anchor tenant, Marshalls department store.
The three-alarm fire began at 5:30 a.m. A crew of 33 Norwalk firefighters, aided by firefighters from New Canaan and Westport, had the fire under control by 6:51 a.m., according to Norwalk Deputy Chief Bob Talloni.
A few minor injuries were reported among the firefighters but nothing that would cause the firefighters to take sick leave, according to Talloni.
Michael F. DiScala, president of M.F. DiScala & Co., the Norwalk developer who owns the building, said it appears that the fire began inside of Elegance Cleaners and spread to three other stores, causing "some heavy damage to the stores to the west."
Elegance Cleaners was gutted and Kashmir Indian Kitchen suffered severe damage, DiScala said.
Blimpies Subs & Salads, Warehouse Wine and Liquor and Sprint PCS suffered less damage and may reopen in a few days, according to John DiScala, vice president of real estate management at Sedona Group, LLC, the company that manages the strip mall.
A firewall inside the building prevented the fire from spreading to Marshalls department store and other businesses to the east, according to Michael DiScala.
"Thank goodness (there were) no injuries and everything was closed," he said. "We have a lot of sympathy for our tenants and for our customers, especially now, because the holiday is coming around. Hopefully, we can get them back up and running soon."
The stores had no sprinkler systems because they were built before laws required them to instal the systems, according to Talloni.
John DiScala said he felt bad about the clothing that was lost in the fire at Elegance Cleaners.
"The cleaners got hit the hardest," he said. "All these people are coming here and asking: 'Where's my clothes?' It's not fun having to tell them that their clothes were lost in the fire."
Contractors were on site at the strip mall Monday, cleaning out fire-damaged items and shoveling soot into dumpsters. The stores were expected to be boarded up by the end of the day, John DiScala said.
Mohbub Ahmud, owner of Kashmir Indian Kitchen, looked on as contractors cleaned the debris out of his business.
"Of course it's bad," he said. "It's not only me but other people who were harmed by this."
In 2006, Marshalls Plaza underwent a $250,000 facelift that gave it a unified facade and European tones. Built in 1957, the steel-and-brick building was once home to Grand Union Supermarket. M.F. DiScala & Co. purchased the property about seven years ago.
After Grand Union filed for bankruptcy, M.F. DiScala began leasing it to Marshalls and 10 satellite stores.
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| 17 Carlin Street 10/21/2008 |
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Platoon 3 Members Fight Double Fatal House Fire
Updated On: Oct 21, 2008 (20:57:00)
Platoon 3 members were called to the scene of a house fire at 17 Carlin Street early in the morning of October 21, 2008. 2 occupants perished in the blaze that left the house totally destroyed. Article from the Norwalk Hour:
A Norwalk couple was killed during an early morning house fire at 17 Carlin Street. Joyce Hunt, 73, and her husband Norman, 67, died early Tuesday morning in the home they had lived in for 31 years.
Fire officials say the blaze, which was called in at approximately 1:18 a.m. Tuesday, was so intense that the entire home was gutted. Firefighters could not immediately get inside the house because the fire, reported at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, was so intense.
The couple raised six children in the home, including five sons and a daughter, Donna Carballo, who lives in Stratford. Carballo said her parents did everything together and she remembers fondly the many Thanksgiving dinners at the house.
The fire remained under investigation Tuesday.
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| Platoon 3 Members Fight Double Fatal House Fire |
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Platoon 3 members were called to the scene of a house fire at 17 Carlin Street early in the morning of October 21, 2008. 2 occupants perished in the blaze that left the house totally destroyed. Article from the Norwalk Hour:
A Norwalk couple was killed during an early morning house fire at 17 Carlin Street. Joyce Hunt, 73, and her husband Norman, 67, died early Tuesday morning in the home they had lived in for 31 years.
Fire officials say the blaze, which was called in at approximately 1:18 a.m. Tuesday, was so intense that the entire home was gutted. Firefighters could not immediately get inside the house because the fire, reported at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, was so intense.
The couple raised six children in the home, including five sons and a daughter, Donna Carballo, who lives in Stratford. Carballo said her parents did everything together and she remembers fondly the many Thanksgiving dinners at the house.
The fire remained under investigation Tuesday.
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| Blue Mountain Road Fire |
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Arson suspected in Norwalk blaze
By Lisa Chamoff
Norwalk Advocate Staff Writer
Article Launched: 08/13/2008 03:57:30 PM EDT
NORWALK - A late-night blaze destroyed an abandoned house on Blue Mountain Road Wednesday, in what fire officials believe was an act of arson. The fire was called in at around 1 a.m., and when firefighters arrived, the single-story ranch house at 27 Blue Mountain Road was fully engulfed in flames and the fire had already burned through the roof. "There was so much fire, you couldn't get in the building," said Deputy Chief David Lepus.
Three engines, two trucks, a rescue vehicle and a command car responded, Lepus said. Firefighters surrounded the house and fought the blaze with hoses from outside until it was extinguished. The last unit left the scene at around 7 am.
In January, a fire started in the garage when six young men were living in the house, Fire Marshal Glenn Iannaccone said. Since then, the house has been vacant and all the utilities were shut off. The owner lives in Michigan.
The house has been repeatedly vandalized, and Tuesday morning neighbors noticed that a window had been broken, Iannaccone said. Two other back windows already were broken and boarded up.
"As far as we're concerned, it was a case of arson," Iannaccone said.
Wednesday's fire started in the back of the house, on a patio, where there have been parties, Iannaccone said. A dog was brought to the house to sniff for substances that can start a fire, and picked up the scent of an accelerant in an empty flower bed in the backyard.
Anyone with information on the fire should call the Connecticut Arson Tip Award Program hotline at 1-800-84-ARSON. The program offers up to $2,500 for information leading to a conviction in an arson case.
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| Platoon 1 Members Battle Vacant House Fire |
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Members of Platoon 1 spent the early morning hours of August 13, 2008 battling a vacant house fire at 27 Blue Mountain Road, the site of a working fire earlier in the year. Engine 4's crew arrived first due just before 1:00 AM and found fire venting from the roof of the building with partial collapse soon after their arrival. An exterior attack was initiated with the Ladder Pipe of Truck 1 being used to blitz the large body of fire. Other companies involved were Engines 1, 2, and 3 and Truck 2 as well as Rescue 2 and Car 2. The Connecticut State Police Fire Investigation Division is assisting NFD Inspectors in determining cause. Last units cleared the fire scene at approximately 7:00 AM. Pictures to follow.
- Article by J. Coppola, 08/13/2008
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| 327 Main Ave Oasis Coffee Co. |
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Bird nests next to chimney stacks of a coffee roaster at 327 Main Avenue in Norwalk appear to have caused a fire that took more than 40 firefighters from Norwalk and Wilton nearly four hours to bring under control. Most of the firefighters working at this fire experienced symptoms of heat exhaustion, while three required IVs and hospital evaluation. Firefighters made an aggressive attack, opening walls and the roof in order to minimize structural damage and fire extension. They made a good stop despite adverse conditions.
- Article by Scott Rywolt
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| Fire guts soccer store |
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Working Fire During Heat Wave Guts Soccer Store
JARED NEWMAN
Norwalk Hour Staff Writer
June 10, 2008
An electrical fire sparked inside an East Norwalk soccer equipment store Monday morning, injuring no one but destroying all the merchandise. A business owner and passing motorist both reported the blaze at Soccer with Aldwin, 21 First St., at 8:32 a.m., Deputy Chief Robert Talloni said. The store was not open for business, and no one was inside at the time. Smoke poured into the two apartments on the building's second floor. "Right now the whole building is unfit for occupancy," said Cedric Goo, a housing inspector for the Norwalk Health Department. Firefighters contained the flames before they could spread to two surrounding businesses in the same building. Bliss, a pest removal business, and Creative Hair Salon both contained potentially hazardous materials, Talloni said. Bob Schraer, a volunteer for the Mid-Fairfield County Chapter of the American Red Cross, said four people live in the two apartments above the business, and the organization is working to provide temporary housing. One dog was rescued from the scene and taken to a shelter for smoke inhalation treatment, Talloni said. Louis Caruso, an inspector for the Norwalk Fire Department, said that an extension cord caused the fire. "It was just kind of compromised because something was placed on top of it, and it just pinched the cord," he said. The department has concluded its investigation. Chris Condors, co-owner of Condor Press next door to the burning building, said the sound of broken glass alerted him to the emergency. "Once that front pane window broke, the fire just rushed right out, right over that overhang and took off," he said. As his wife, Karen, dialed 911, he ran to the stairwell of the apartments and called for people to evacuate. One elderly woman emerged, he said. The owner of the soccer store, Aldwin St. George, said he was at the store's soccer academy program in Greenwich when the fire started. St. George said he won't give up on the business so easily and will establish a new store. In the meantime, soccer lessons will continue. "The great thing is that nobody got injured," he said.
Photo by Matt Vinci, Norwalk Hour Photographer
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| Home evacuated after fire |
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Home evacuated after fire
Norwalk Hour
Published: April 6, 2008
A blaze on Bouton Street forced three children out of their home and destroyed their belongings Sunday evening.
Deputy Fire Marshal John McGuirk said the cause of the fire, at 25 Bouton St., is still under investigation. No parents were in the house when the fire started, but McGuirk heard that a "mentor" was present. He did not have the ages of all children, but said the oldest was 12.
The fire began in a bedroom, where the children slept, and spread through the rest of the second floor apartment. After putting out the blaze, firefighters tossed burnt belonings, such as beds and clothing, out of the window to make room for an inspection.
"It's going to be unfit for occupancy," McGuirk said of the second floor apartment. South Norwalk Electric and Water was able to keep power running on the first floor, allowing tenants there to stay in their apartment.
A resident of a house across the street, where the children were staying, did not wish to comment.
Art Cruz, who lives down the road, said he saw smoke pouring out of the house, and he praised firefighters for quickly extinguishing the fire.
"I don't know who called the Fire Department, but they got here pretty quick," he said.
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| Firefighters rescue dog from blaze |
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Firefighters rescue dog from blaze
By Alexandra Fenwick
Staff Writer
Published February 15 2008
NORWALK - A two-alarm fire gave neighbors a scare yesterday as firefighters worked to find and rescue the homeowners' dog.
Cooper, a black Labrador retriever, was home alone when a fire broke out in the ground floor bedroom of the 1945 two-story Cape-style house at 38 Betts-wood Road.
The fire's cause was under investigation, Fire Marshal Glenn Iannaccone said. The blaze triggered a home alarm that alerted the fire department at about 11 a.m.
It took about 20 minutes to knock down the fire because it took some time to find Cooper, who ran upstairs and hid under a bed, Deputy Chief Stephen Shay said.
Neighbor Norma Andersen called Cooper's owners, who were on their way home, to let them know their dog was safe.
"They're good neighbors to me, I try to be a good neighbor to them," Andersen said.
The fire caused heavy damage to the first floor and smoke damage to the second floor, Shay said.
"I would say they're very lucky because they have that alarm system," Assistant Chief Lawrence Reilly said. "If they hadn't had the alarm, it would have taken a few more minutes for the neighbors to see the smoke, and it would have been more advanced."
Neighbor Jan Fiore was baking a pineapple upside-down cake for Valentine's Day dessert when she heard her neighbors' alarm.
As fire trucks arrived, she stepped outside and Cooper made a beeline for her house across the street.
"I guess he's staying awhile," Fiore said.
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| Norwalk fire displaces 7 residents |
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Published January 25 2008
Norwalk Advocate
NORWALK - A fire spread through the basement and part of the first floor of a two-family house at 6 Spring Hill Ave. yesterday morning, temporarily displacing seven residents.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. No injuries were reported.
The fire started in the basement at about 9:15 a.m. before spreading to a first-floor closet, Assistant Fire Chief Laurence Reilly said.
The fire caused heavy damage in the basement and light to moderate smoke damage to the rest of the home.
The only person at the home at the time - a first-floor tenant, who reported the fire - was moving out.
Seven other were residents were forced to leave the house temporarily because power was cut. The American Red Cross provided emergency lodging at a local hotel for the three adults and four teens.
- Patrick McNamee , Norwalk Advocate
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| Three men stabbed, one dead, in violent night on Lindenwood Road |
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Breaking News: Three men stabbed, one dead, in violent night on Lindenwood Road
By HAROLD F. COBIN
Hour Correspondent
January 12, 2008
Police are investigating whether the stabbing death of a man whose body was found Saturday morning behind a McDonald's restaurant on Main Avenue is connected to a disturbance that occurred around the corner Friday night on Lindenwoods Road, during which two other young males were stabbed. Police were called to Lindenwoods Road twice Friday night on complaints of noise from a party in a residence. Officers were at that house at around 11:15 p.m. when someone fired a gun and the two were stabbed. The body of the man who died was discovered sometime after 6 a.m. Saturday. An investigator said he had a major stab wound.
Read Sunday's Hour for a full report
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| Man jumps in front of train |
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Man jumps in front of train
Norwalk Hour
January 10, 2008
EAST NORWALK — An unidentified man has jumped from the East Norwalk train station platform in front of a moving train.
Train traffic heading toward New Haven has been stopped after a train engineer and a train manager witnessed an unidentified man leap out in front of their train, said Metro North spokesman Dan Brucker.
"All traffic has been stopped," said Brucker.
The 1:07 p.m. train out of Grand Central was headed to New Haven when the accident occurred at approximatly 2:15 p.m. in East Norwalk.
There are no other details at this time.
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Page Last Updated: Nov 14, 2008 (09:20:31)
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