13 people treated at hospital following Hartford fire

At least 13 people were hospitalized and two were rushed to a burn center with critical injuries after a fire in an apartment building in Hartford’s West End neighborhood on Saturday night, according to the Hartford Police Department.

Fire crews responded to a blaze at 77 Evergreen Ave. about 9:44 p.m. Saturday and found a four-story apartment complex called “West Green” under heavy fire, the department said.

“They encountered heavy fire conditions on the third floor that extended to the fourth floor,” Fire District Chief Mario Oquendo Jr. said in a statement.

Several residents had to be rescued by fire crews after becoming trapped in their homes, the department said.

At least 13 people were taken to area hospitals, most suffering from smoke inhalation. Four people were in critical condition as of Sunday morning, including two people who were taken to the Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital in critical condition, fire crews said.

No firefighters were injured while fighting the blaze, the fire department said.

The City of Hartford License and Inspections Department deemed the building to be uninhabitable. The department’s special services unit was working with the American Red Cross to help families that were displaced, but the fire department said it was unclear how many people were displaced as of Sunday morning.

Property records show that the building is owned by West Hartford-based ENL LLC and houses more than two dozen condominium units.

The cause of the fire was under investigation by our Fire Marshal’s office.