By William Kaempffer
The New Haven Register
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A three-alarm fire heavily damaged a three-story building in the city’s Hill neighborhood.
Firefighters were returning to the Howard Avenue firehouse from a medical call at about 4 p.m. Monday when people flagged them down and reported a fire. They discovered heavy smoke and flames pouring out of windows at 541 Howard Ave. The fire quickly spread to the third floor and into the attic.
Fire Capt. William Gould said a third-floor resident was trapped and in a window screaming for help.
The first firefighters bypassed the second floor and helped the woman to safety. Others set up lines and began fighting the fire, he said. A third alarm was called because buildings were in close proximity along the busy stretch.
Annie Berrios, the trapped woman, said she was in bed when she heard the fire alarm but “didn’t pay it much mind” until she heard a commotion outside. She looked out and saw the street congested with firefighters.
When she opened her door, she saw heavy smoke in the hallway and then firefighters, who ushered her to safety. She waited on a nearby corner waiting to talk to fire marshals.
Gould said the cause of the fire remained undetermined and under investigation. The second-floor apartment where the fire started was unoccupied.
The house contains the Howard Market, a convenience store on the first floor and apartments on the two above.
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