New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Girl, 7, dies in house fire
NORWALK — A 7-year-old girl died from the injuries after a firefighter rescued her from her burning house early Saturday morning in what the mayor called a “tragedy for the whole city.”
“Everyone’s heart is broken,” Mayor Harry Rilling said at an early afternoon new conference.
Fire crews responded to a fire on Nelson Avenue at 4:58 a.m. and found the home “fully involved in fire,” according to an email from Deputy Fire Chief Steve Shay. The power lines across the street and two vehicles in the yard were also ablaze, he said.
“A man and woman who had escaped the fire with their 9-year-old son were in the
backyard, attempting to rescue their 7-year-old daughter, who was asleep in a secondfloor bedroom” when firefighters
arrived, Assistant Fire Chief Edward McCabe said.
“The man had broken his arm and suffered burns when he fell while trying to climb to the window. Firefighters immediately raised a ladder to the window,” McCabe said. “One firefighter climbed inside the burning room, located the child, and passed her out the window to firefighters on the ladder, who carried her to the ground.”
Paramedics “immediately began care and transported the child and father to Norwalk Hospital,” McCabe said, but the child died of her injuries.
Other family members were treated at Norwalk Hospital for smoke inhalation, minor burns and injuries, McCabe said. The house is in a neighborhood near central Norwalk.
“One Norwalk firefighter suffered burns to his face and was treated on the scene,” he said.
“The fire escalated to three alarms, with all Norwalk fire companies working on scene and mutual aid station coverage provided by Stamford, New Canaan, Westport and Rowayton fire departments,” said McCabe.
The cause of the blaze was under investigation by the department’s fire marshal division and state police, he said.
Detectives from the Norwalk Police Department were also involved, which is routine procedure, McCabe said.
He took part in a news conference with Rilling, Fire
Chief Gino Gatto and Norwalk Public School Superintendent Alexandra Estrella, who extended their condolences to the family.
“When you have something like this happen, you start asking ‘why,’ ‘how.’ There’s just no answer that can make any sense to us,” Rilling said.
Estrella would not confirm which school the child attended until the school district could contact the family. The girl and her family were not identified at the news conference.
The school district’s crisis intervention team and counselors from the Mid-Fairfield Child Guidance Center will be at the school Sunday to support teachers and staff, she said. They will also arrive early at the school on Monday to provide additional support and make sure teachers and staff are prepared to support their students after the death of their classmate, Estrella said.
The Rev. Jeff Couture from St. Matthew Church spoke to firefighters after the fatal blaze, and the department also has an internal peer group available to offer support. The firefighters who responded to the fatal fire will be back on duty on Tuesday, and a formal debrief will take place at that time.
“I want to commend the firefighters. This was a very tough fire fire. Very intensive. They did a very good job and they deserve a big thank you,” Gatto said.
In a statement, state Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, offered his condolences and promised the community will support the family in the wake of the deadly fire.
“My heart goes out to the Norwalk family dealing with this unimaginable tragedy,” Duff said on Twitter. “Our community will come together as they grieve, and we will support them in whatever they need. Thank you to the Norwalk Fire Department for your bravery.”
The American Red Cross and the Norwalk Fire Department will assist the family with any immediate needs, officials said.