West Hartford firefighters battled a structure fire on Edgemere Avenue on Tuesday night, and while engaged a second blaze was reported.

West Hartford Fire Department responded to the scene of a fire on Edgemere Avenue on March 12, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

Five people were displaced from a single-family home on Edgemere Avenue on Tuesday night following a blaze, and West Hartford Fire Chief Greg Priest said it’s likely the residence will be deemed uninhabitable.

According to Priest, a 911 call was received by dispatchers at 7:49 p.m., reporting a fire in a laundry room on Edgemere Avenue. West Hartford Police arrived on the scene at 7:53 p.m. and reported “active fire” visible in second floor windows.

The first fire apparatus also arrived at 7:53 p.m., Priest said, and also noted visible smoke coming from an upper corner of the residence. A working fire was declared at 7:57 p.m. “based on the volume of fire that they saw when they got up there,” Priest said.

West Hartford Fire Department responded to the scene of a fire on Edgemere Avenue on March 12, 2024. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

The fire was declared under control at 8:25 p.m.

No one was injured, and all five inhabitants had self-evacuated before emergency personnel arrived at the scene. Firefighters conducted a primary search to confirm that no one was inside. The breakdown of ages was not immediately available, but Priest said the residents were a mixture of adults and children.

There were animals in the home at the time the fire started, but all have been accounted for, Priest added.

As part of clearing the scene, the firefighters who entered the structure on Edgemere Avenue are washed down to remove contaminants. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

“There was significant damage to multiple rooms inside of the structure,” said Priest.

“The residence was deemed uninhabitable by the West Hartford Building Official, and as such, the Red Cross was summoned to provide assistance to the occupants,” Priest said. “Working with the property owner, the occupants will be provided alternate housing.”

The cause of the blaze is under investigation by the West Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office.

West Hartford Fire Department apparatus at the scene of a fire on Edgemere Avenue on March 12, 2024. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

While units were on the scene at Edgemere Avenue, at 8:15 p.m. a call came in about a second structure fire, this one in a kitchen of a multifamily residential building on Farmington Avenue. “Food on the stove with heavy smoke in a third-floor apartment” was reported, Priest said, and three mutual aid partners who were already in town providing back-up – the UConn, Hartford, and Newington fire departments – responded to that incident.

UConn Fire Department provides mutual aid to West Hartford when a fire broke out on Farmington Avenue while WHFD units were on Edgemere Avenue. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

A West Hartford deputy chief who was en route, as well as one of the units that had responded to Edgemere Avenue, also headed to Farmington Avenue, said Priest.

The Farmington Avenue fire had already been extinguished but had extended into cabinetry and the unit required ventilation, Priest said. No injuries were reported.

“While departments are often asked why we contact mutual aid early to merely standby when fire units are at other incidents, it is to ensure rapid response times in case of other calls. This is an excellent example of the reason for mutual aid and is a testament to the relationships between area departments,” Priest said.

“As we always tend to remark upon when we respond to serious incidents, effective responses are the product of not just the efforts of the WHFD but also of our other stakeholders who dispatch us, assist at scenes, or with standing by,” Priest added. He thanked the West Hartford dispatchers, police, building officials, American Medical Response, and mutual aid partners in Hartford, Newington, and UConn.

Including the two fires on Tuesday night, there have been four structure fires in West Hartford in the past week. Earlier on Tuesday, firefighters engaged in “Post-Incident Neighborhood Outreach” on Steven Street and Kane Street, promoting fire safety and responding to questions in the neighborhoods where fires occurred on March 6 and March 10.

Priest also recognized staff of the Fire Marshal’s office who have responded to four recent investigations. “While the activities of putting out the fires tend to generate the majority of attention, the fire marshals investigating the fires should not be overlooked. They often go unrecognized but spend a significant amount of time investigating the incidents long after the majority of scene activity is over,” Priest said.

Fire Chief Greg Priest points out the information gathering that takes place at the Mobile Command Center. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Deputy Chief Neil Sinatro conducted a “hot wash” – short session with responders following the fire on Edgemere Avenue to discuss sequence of events, areas of strength, and opportunities for improvement, Chief Greg Priest said. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

West Hartford Fire Department apparatus at the scene of a fire on Edgemere Avenue on March 12, 2024. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

West Hartford Fire Department and West Hartford Police at the scene of a fire on Edgemere Avenue on March 12, 2024. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

West Hartford Fire Department responded to the scene of a fire on Edgemere Avenue on March 12, 2024. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

West Hartford Fire Department responded to the scene of a fire on Edgemere Avenue on March 12, 2024. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

West Hartford Fire Department responded to the scene of a fire on Edgemere Avenue on March 12, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

West Hartford Fire Department responded to the scene of a fire on Edgemere Avenue on March 12, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

As part of clearing the scene, the firefighters who entered the structure on Edgemere Avenue are washed down to remove contaminants. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

West Hartford Fire Department responded to the scene of a fire on Edgemere Avenue on March 12, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Newington Fire Department provides mutual aid to West Hartford when a fire broke out on Farmington Avenue while WHFD units were on Edgemere Avenue. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

Hartford Fire Department provides mutual aid to West Hartford when a fire broke out on Farmington Avenue while WHFD units were on Edgemere Avenue. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

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