MAN SERIOUSLY INJURED IN NEW LONDON FIRE; FOUR PEOPLE DISPLACED

New London — A man was seriously injured in a fire at his home early Monday morning that badly damaged a multifamily home on Blackhall Street.

At least five people were inside when the light blue home at 40 Blackhall St. caught fire about 5:45 a.m., tearing through the home's three floors.

A man who lives in an apartment on the second floor was rescued by fire officials. He was taken by ambulance to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital with serious injuries and later was transferred to Bridgeport Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, according to New London Fire Marshal Vernon Skau.

Another man, who was a guest of someone who lives on the second floor, escaped before firefighters arrived but suffered smoke inhalation. He also was taken to L+M for treatment for injuries that weren't serious, Skau said.

Around 9 a.m. Monday, embers from the blaze still floated onto the sidewalk on Blackhall Street.

The front of the home was blackened and warped, with broken-out windows exposing charred furniture and collapsing ceilings inside. Burnt debris littered the front yard and remnants of burnt chairs sat on the front porch.

There are five separate apartments in the house, but two units on the first floor were vacant. In total, four people were displaced and the home was deemed uninhabitable.

Three people were being assisted by the American Red Cross, Skau said.

All of the fire doors in the home were closed, said Skau, preventing the fire from spreading into the apartments.

The fire marshal's office is investigating the cause of the fire.

SEAN D. ELLIOT/THE DAY New London police Officer Chris White sets up the department’s laser scanner Monday in the doorway as investigators work at the scene of a fire at 40 Blackhall St. The scanner, which measures and creates 3D computer models, is a new investigative tool for the department. The fire was reported about 5:45 a.m. and two people were transported to the hospital.