The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Fire destroys New Hartford House
Firefighter critically injured as blaze destroys historic house
NEW HARTFORD — A threealarm fire early Tuesday left a Burlington firefighter critically injured and a historic building in the heart of town and known by local residents as the New Hartford House a shell, according to officials.
A 26-year-old firefighter who responded to the scene was taken to John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington for treatment. The department was withholding his name at this time, said Fire Chief Michael Boucher.
“The firefighter is in critical condition and being tended to by a team of physicians,” Boucher said in a statement on the department’s Facebook page. “We ask that you keep our firefighter in your thoughts and prayers.”
John Barbagallo, the Norfolk Fire Department’s public information officer who assists other EMS and fire departments, said Route 44 the town’s main street, was closed. The tenants all were accounted for and safe, according to Barbagallo.
“The road will be closed, probably into the evening, if not longer,” Barbagallo said Tuesday afternoon. “If they decide to tear the building down, the road will be closed for a lot longer.
“The only thing that’s left of the building is the facade and the sidewalk, which is now causing a safety hazard,” he said.
Firefighters were assisting investigators to determine the cause of the blaze.
“It’s still a working scene, very much so,” he said.
Scores of firefighters respond
ed to the Bridge Street building around 2:25 a.m. after several 911 calls from tenants who were reporting the roof area of the building appeared to be on fire, Barbagallo had said around 5:30 a.m. during an interview with Fox61.
Barbagallo later tweeted: “Latest update from New Hartford: RT44 & surrounding roads are still closed due to fire activity.”
“All tenants have been accounted for & safe. A Burlington firefighter was transported to the hospital after experiencing a serious medical issue at the fire scene,” he said on Twitter.
Barbagallo earlier said units arrived and confirmed heavy fire on the roof. He said the blaze escalated to a three-alarm, bringing in additional resources and personnel from multiple fire departments across the area. Barbagallo said the fire spread to all three floors.
During the 5:30 a.m. interview, Barbagallo said defensive operations remained underway, with some crews being sent in to do overhaul and complete searches in the building.
He said the building is known as the New Hartford House, which he said has been a fixture in town since 1850 and is known to be the tallest building in New Hartford. He said it’s a mixed-occupancy building, with 14 residential units and six businesses.
Barbagallo said earlier that two firefighters were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries.
In terms of whether the building was salvageable, Barbagallo said he was “no expert,” but did say that the second and third floors on the back part of the building had collapsed.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.