2nd Fire At McQueeney Towers In 3 Days Being Investigated: Mayor

NEW HAVEN, CT —A two-alarm, 10th floor fire at McQueeney Towers Apartments in downtown New Haven Saturday around noon forced some evacuations, but there were no injuries reported, city officials said.

Three days later, on Tuesday night just before 8 p.m., a single alarm balcony fire at the same location, and on the same floor of the 358 Orange St. high-rise, was fought by New Haven firefighters.

The floor was evacuated, and no one was injured.

Initially it was reported by the New Haven Fire Department on its Twitter account that no fire was seen. Video footage on social media later shows flames from seen on a 10th floor balcony.

Firefighters were forced to walk up the stairs as the elevators were out of commission since the Saturday fire.

The fire was soon "knocked down" and there were no injuries reported.

Home to senior citizens and persons with disabilities, the 83 unit site is operated by the New Haven Housing Authority.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said in a news release that he was on the scene and that the "supervisor of Fire Investigation along with the New Haven Police Department are on the scene and are actively investigating the cause. The state Fire Marshall has also been notified."

No residents were displaced, Elicker said.

“Investigation into the cause is on-going, and I look forward to seeing a resolution to helps keep our residents safe,” he added.

The New Haven Independent reported that Fire Chief John Alston said the Saturday fire, while on the 10th floor, was in a non-residential office and was likely electrical.

Tuesday's fire, Alston was quoted as saying, started on a resident's outdoor balcony and, was likely caused "by human hand."

He added that if the fires are related, that will be determined after an investigation.