Woman killed in fire in Bloomfield
A woman died in a fire at a home in Bloomfield on Tuesday afternoon.
Emergency crews responded to a home on Blue Hills Avenue around 2:30 p.m. and found heavy fire coming from the upper floors, according to police.
Firefighters helped evacuate the building.
The fire was still burning an hour after the first 911 call, hampering rescue efforts, police said.
A woman on the top floor was unaccounted for, but was later found dead inside the home, according to police.
A neighbor said he tried to help the woman who was reportedly trapped on the second floor.
“[She’s] hanging out halfway to the window asking for help,” he said. “’Please don’t let me die in here.’ ‘We’ll catch you. Just jump.’ And she could not jump. We found out that she was wheelchair bound, and while we were standing near the fire, it just blew out the entire window. And she just fell right back. That was the last time we saw her.”
Blue Hills Fire Department Chief Willie Jones said he was the first to arrive and saw flames coming from the windows and roof area.
He said firefighters tried to go inside to put out the fire, but it was so intense that crews had to attack it from the outside.
“I’ve been involved in the fire service for many years, and usually when you see that type of fire volume, it’s overnight, not at 2:30 in the afternoon,” he said.
One firefighter was taken to the hospital for a heat-related concern.
Bloomfield police, the town fire marshal, and the state fire marshal are investigating the cause of the fire.
Investigators are working to identify the victim.
From breaking news and local politics to art exhibitions, live music, high school sports, small businesses, and cultural events, we celebrate the people and places that make Connecticut unique.