A three-family home in West Hartford was damaged by smoke and fire on Tuesday morning.

By Ronni Newton

A fire in a three-family home in West Hartford caused significant damage to the structure on Tuesday morning and several families have been displaced, but all occupants – including several pets – were safely evacuated, officials said.

West Hartford Fire Department Deputy Chief Adam Pacheco said the blaze at 17 Mitchell Place was reported at 11:14 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, and the first units, from Station 1 on Prospect Avenue, arrived at 11:18 a.m. and found visible fire and smoke on the second floor, resulting in an upgrade of the call to bring in additional resources.

“They found fire on the second floor, initially in the rear of the kitchen, that had extended through a pipe chaseway up into the third floor,” Pacheco told We-Ha.com. It was a resident of the third floor, who was home at the time, who first reported the fire.

The third floor occupant was able to self-evacuate, as were a mother and infant who were in their unit on the ground floor. There were no injuries to occupants or firefighters.

While the cause of the fire has not been determined, it appeared to have started on the second floor. The unit on that floor was not occupied at the time, Pacheco said.

“The fire had extended throughout portions of the second, third floor, and attic requiring multiple handlines,” Assistant Chief Jay Silver said.

Fire crews helped evacuate a dog and several cats. “We got everyone out,” Pacheco said.

Crews needed to cut a hole in the roof and a portion of the third floor in order to extinguish the fire, which had extended through the wall.

The fire was quickly extinguished with the bulk of the blaze knocked down by 11:26 a.m., Silver said, but crews spent approximately another hour conducting overhaul due to the location and extent of the fire.

There was significant fire and water damage to the structure, which is temporarily uninhabitable. All of the utilities have been disconnected, Pacheco said.

Chief Greg Priest told We-Ha.com that the Red Cross will be working with West Hartford’s Office of Emergency Management, CERT, and the town’s Medical Resiliency coordinator officials to determine how many people will need to be relocated and to coordinate those efforts.

According to Silver, 13 people lived in the three-family home, which according to town records was constructed in 1917.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the West Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office, and the condition of the structure will also be examined by the West Hartford Building Department.

The UConn Fire Department assisted at the scene, as did West Hartford Police and AMR. The West Hartford Fire Department is also grateful for the assistance of Newington, Hartford, and New Britain fire departments which provided mutual aid to cover the town while all units were occupied at the scene, as well as to off-duty West Hartford fire personnel who were also called back to cover the rest of the town.

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.