By Jessica Bravo
New Haven Register
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — City officials said firefighters were working at the scene of a fire in the area of River Street and Ferry Street first reported Wednesday morning.
New Haven Fire Department Chief of Operations Daniel Coughlin said a caller reported seeing flames from a large commercial building around 6 a.m., adding the structure houses about five different businesses.
— New Haven Fire (@NewHavenFire) October 30, 2024
Coughlin said arriving crews found the conditions in the building were terrible and unsafe, and decided to go on the defensive. He said the fire kept growing until a fourth alarm was called, noting one could even call it a “fifth alarm” fire.
“The volume of fire was unbelievable,” he said, adding the steel support beams in the building were warped by the heat.
Coughlin said tires and gas tanks on vehicles in the building exploded, and floors collapsed onto other levels.
UPDATE FROM NEW HAVEN: CFPA President Glenn Duda @allhandsworkin reports a 4th alarm has been transmitted. Explosions can be heard coming from the interior of the structure. Units also had a collapse of the main fire area. @NewHavenFire #newhavenfire pic.twitter.com/6HZx7nPXDa
— CT Fire Photo (@ctfirephoto) October 30, 2024
The fire finally was brought under control at around 2:30 p.m., Coughlin said, and city public works excavators have been brought to the scene. With them, he said, crews are pulling rubble out to hose it down.
Coughlin said there were no injuries to report, but firefighters would be there well into the night and the investigation into its cause would take some time.
In a post on X, the police department described the fire as “large” and asked for motorists to avoid the area of Ferry and River streets.
The Red Cross said in a statement later Wednesday morning that one family, consisting of two adults, was being helped following the fire, which the organization said took place on River Street.
At around 8 a.m., a large plume of smoke in the area could be seen from Interstate 95 north.
(c)2024 the New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.)
Visit the New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.) at www.nhregister.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
