Several people were injured during a fire at a multi-family home in West Hartford early Wednesday, including one person who jumped from the second floor to escape.
Crews were dispatched to a home at 20 North Quaker Lane just before 12:30 a.m. on the report of a fire, according to Greg H. Priest, chief of the West Hartford Fire Department.
When firefighters were en route, dispatchers received several 911 calls reporting smoke inside the house and a fire in the basement. The callers said everyone was able to make it out of the home.
The first firefighter on the scene, a deputy fire chief, arrived within three minutes and found an individual who jumped from the second floor to escape smoke in the home, Priest said.
Smoke could be seen in multiple areas of the home. Additional crews were dispatched to the residence for the working fire, prompting mutual aid from area departments to provide station coverage, according to Priest.
Medics who arrived at the scene began tending to the victim, while fire suppression units arrived a minute later and found a fire in the basement, Priest said. Fire crews also searched the home and confirmed everyone had gotten out.
The blaze was put out by 12:49 a.m., according to Priest.
The individual who had jumped from the residence was taken to an area hospital and treated for injuries not believed to be life-threatening, Priest said. Three other people who were in the home when the blaze broke out reported injuries ranging from smoke inhalation to those who suffered while escaping the residence.
Priest said a total of four people were evaluated at the scene, including three who were taken to the hospital. One person requested medical attention and later declined treatment. None of the injuries appeared life-threatening, Priest said.
A pet was also safely removed from the home by its owner.
Building officials were evaluating the home early Wednesday, but Priest said it was expected to be deemed uninhabitable based on smoke and water damage, displacing a total of nine people. The American Red Cross responded to assist the residents.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the West Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office.
“West Hartford Fire would like to thank our dispatchers, the (West Hartford) Police Department, and our mutual aid partners who assisted by covering the town while our units were committed to the fire,” Priest said in a statement.
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