West Hartford Fire Department officials said the first notice of the blaze was reported by a fire alarm monitoring company.

West Hartford Fire Department on the scene of a structure fire on Cliffmore Road. Courtesy of WHFD

By Ronni Newton

A fire in a West Hartford single-family home was substantially knocked down just 23 minutes after the first report came in, and the home sustained damage there were no injuries to occupants or firefighters, Chief Greg Priest said.

The fire on Cliffmore Road was first reported by a fire alarm monitoring company and received at the West Hartford Public Safety Dispatch Center at 11:44 p.m. Saturday, Priest said.

The first unit was already dispatched and on the way tot he scene when at 11:47 p.m. an occupant of the home reported the incident, telling a dispatcher that “there was a loud noise in the house which caused them to run out for a neighbor’s house,” according to Priest’s report. A second report from the fire alarm monitoring company reported an additional alarm activating at 11:48 p.m.

West Hartford Fire Department on the scene of a structure fire on Cliffmore Road. Courtesy of WHFD

The first unit arrived at the Cliffmore Road home at 11:52 p.m, and smoke and fire were visible from the front of the residence. The remainder of on-duty West Hartford Fire Department resources were called in to respond to the structure fire, and West Hartford Police and American Medical Response (AMR) also responded. The UConn Fire Department also responded to the scene.

A search by firefighters confirmed that all occupants had evacuated the residence.

Priest said the fire was considered “substantially knocked down” by 12:07 a.m. Sunday, just 15 minutes after the first unit arrived. “While there is extensive smoke damage, the fire was contained to the immediate few rooms where is started and I am very proud of the ‘stop’ that prevented further fire damage,” Priest’s report said.

Multiple rooms were damaged by the fire, and there was also significant smoke damage throughout the house, which Priest said early Sunday morning would be evaluated by the West Hartford Building Office but likely would be determined as uninhabitable. The Red Cross was notified and would be providing assistance to the occupant.

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

West Hartford Fire Department on the scene of a structure fire on Cliffmore Road. Courtesy of WHFD

New Britain, Newington, and Hartford fire departments, provided standby for the town while West Hartford units were at the scene. “We are very appreciative to our dispatchers, partners from WHPD, AMR, and other mutual aid departments who assisted either at the scene or in town,” Priest said.

Priest noted that it has been a very busy past few months for both the West Hartford Fire Department operations as well as the fire marshal’s office, with many structure fires. Regarding this particular incident, he noted the value of smoke detectors and alarms in “reducing or preventing injury, and reducing damage caused by fire.”

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.