The West Hartford Fire Department responded to a fire at a multi-family residence on Elmhurst Street on Wednesday afternoon.

West Hartford Fire Department responded to Elmhurst Street for a fire on April 24, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

An occupant of a two-family home in West Hartford jumped from a second-story window on Elmhurst Street where a fire occurred Wednesday afternoon, and was transported by American Medical Response, with a West Hartford Fire Department paramedic, to an area hospital for what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries.

Fire Chief Greg Priest said dispatchers were contacted at 4:25 p.m. – by a caller who was not at the scene – to report a kitchen fire in one at the multifamily residence. Dispatchers also notified responding units that they had been informed a person had jumped out of a window.

The first emergency units arrived at 4:29 p.m. and reported smoke visible at the scene.

The victim, who was the only occupant of the unit, had already jumped from the window when emergency responders arrived.

West Hartford Fire Department responded to Elmhurst Street for a fire on April 24, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Crews were able to quickly extinguish the blaze with two hand lines, Priest said, and it was knocked down by 4:36 p.m. He could not immediately verify the location of the fire within the residence.

The fire was confined to the unit of origin, Priest said, and crews searched the other unit and confirmed that no one was inside.

All five West Hartford companies responded to the structure fire, while companies from UConn, New Britain, and Hartford provided mutual aid coverage for the rest of the town. American Medical Rescue also responded to the Elmhurst Street fire, and provided standby coverage while crews were engaged.

The extent of the damage to the residence was to be determined, and will be examined by the Building Department. Priest said the unit of origin appears to be uninhabitable due to significant smoke and fire damage, and the Red Cross has been notified to assist residents. The adjoining unit appears to be unaffected, he said.

The cause of the fire was not immediately determined and will be investigated by the West Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office.

West Hartford Fire Department responded to Elmhurst Street for a fire on April 24, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

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