Police: Fatal Byram house fire still under investigation
GREENWICH — A fatal fire on North Water Street late last year is still under investigation by Greenwich police.
After the blaze, the Greenwich Fire Department said one person was badly injured Nov. 2 in the fire in a house at 164 N. Water St., where Barbara and Carl Jensen lived for many years. The person suffered burns and smoke inhalation, the department said.
Barbara Jensen died weeks later at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., on Dec. 3. The Westchester County Medical Examiner in New York confirmed her death this week. The M.E.’s office did not release the cause of death but said she died at the the West
chester Medical Center, which has an advanced unit for burn care.
Since the fire in November, Fire Marshal Chris Partico has referred questions on the blaze and its cause to the police department.
“The case is still under investigation. The Detective Division is working with the Stamford Superior Court. We are not
releasing anything further at this time,” Capt. Mark Zuccerella, the Greenwich police spokesman, stated in an email.
Jensen was 88 at the time of her death. She was a former postal office employee, according to newspaper accounts.
A chain-link fence has been erected around the North Water Street property and the burnedout home, and a notice posted from the Greenwich Building Department said the residence is off-limits.
A neighbor said the large fire
was a distressing event for the neighborhood, and described the couple as a low-key presence on the block. “Very private, they kept to themselves,” said Janet Colin. “Very sad.”
The three-story house in the Byram neighborhood of Greenwich is owned by Charles Jensen, according to property records, who could not be reached for comment.
At the time of the blaze, firefighters had a hard time entering the residence due to a number of household items and “obstacles”
inside the structure, said Deputy Fire Chief Tom Zack. Clutter is still visible through the home’s windows and doors.
“The heavy wind was making the situation a lot worse,” Zack said of the challenges in fighting the morning fire.
The house sustained major damage. “We had fire throughout three floors,” the deputy fire chief said.
Firefighters withdrew from the initial entry and worked to put out the fire from outside as a safety precaution, he said.
“We got pushed back, there were obstacles,” he said. “We did the best we could.”
About eight fire apparatuses, as well as support vehicles, came from all over town to fight the fire.
One other person was at the property and managed to escape the burning home safely, Zack said. No firefighters were injured in the operation, he said.
The fire knocked out power to the neighborhood for the day.