90 Residents Displaced In 4-Alarm Apartment Fire In Hamden

HAMDEN, CT — Ninety residents were displaced after a four-alarm fire broke out at an apartment building on Mix Avenue in Hamden late Saturday night, according to officials.

Firefighters brought the fire under control after about three hours following a “very labor intensive fire attack,” according to Fire Marshal Brian Dolan.

Three firefighters were treated at the scene by American Medical Response for heat exhaustion, Dolan said. No residents were injured.

Crews were dispatched at 11:36 p.m. to a fire at the Chestnut Hill Apartments at 925 Mix Avenue. Responding companies arrived at 11:40 p.m. and reported heavy fire and smoke coming from the roof of the apartment complex, according to Dolan.

Dolan said firefighters manually activated the building alarm to evacuate all residents because the interior smoke detectors hadn’t activated yet.

“Upon accessing the roof firefighters encountered multiple solar panels, HVAC equipment, and the roof deck itself on fire,” Dolan wrote in a news release. “Smoke began to bank down into the hallways of the building. Additional firefighting crews began a room by room search of the 57 unit building to ensure that all occupants had exited safely.

“The fire was running an internal void space between the third-floor ceilings of the apartments and the roof deck. This made for a very labor intensive fire attack and posed many challenges for firefighters. Fire crews had limited access from the roof due to the limited walkable surfaces. A majority of the roof was covered with solar panels and mechanical equipment. Other roof areas had been made structurally unsafe from the volume of fire. The fire had to be accessed from the third-floor apartments which involved pulling down the drywall ceilings in the hallway and dwelling units. The fire was upgraded to a four-alarm fire. Numerous area fire departments responded to provide support at the scene and to provide station coverage in Hamden.”

Dolan said firefighters remained at the scene after bringing the fire under control to check for any hot spots.

“Firefighters were able to limit the fire spread to the void space and the roof,” Dolan said. “The fire did not extend into the units but there was heavy smoke and water damage throughout the building.”

Dolan said the apartment building is “currently uninhabitable.” The American Red Cross and Hamden Community Services are providing assistance with housing and other needs for the displaced residents. A GoFundMe campaign has also been launched in support of the residents.

“The fire is believed to have started in the ceiling void space of the third floor of the building,” Dolan said.

The Hamden Fire Marshal’s Office and the Connecticut State Police Fire Investigation Unit are conducting an ongoing investigation into the exact cause of the fire, according to Dolan.

"It was a very labor intensive effort at the overnight 4 alarm fire on Mix Ave.," Hamden Fire Chief Gary Merwede wrote in a post on Twitter. "I couldn't be more proud of the leadership of our Fire Officers and hard work of our Firefighters. I'm also grateful for our mutual aid partners."