No injuries reported in West Hartford condo fire

Firefighters quickly extinguished a condominium fire in West Hartford on Sunday afternoon.

At 12:46 p.m., West Hartford Public Safety Dispatch received a report of smoke and fire inside a condominium on Kane Street in West Hartford, according to Chief Greg H. Priest of the West Hartford Fire Department.

The West Hartford Fire Department was immediately dispatched, with the first units arriving at the scene at 12:49 p.m., Priest said.

Firefighters found smoke on the fourth floor of the building. As fire personnel entered the condo unit, they discovered an active fire in the kitchen, according to Priest.

“After a primary search, firefighters were able to determine that all the occupants of the fire unit had evacuated safely,” Priest said. “All other occupants of the adjacent condo units were searched with no other residents found in danger although several apartments nearby were found with occupants sheltering in place.”

Firefighters quickly knocked out the fire and were able to keep it contained within the single condo unit, Priest said.

No injuries were reported. After the fire was extinguished, a resident of a nearby condo unit was evaluated for a minor illness but declined hospitalization, according to Priest.

“The condo unit of origin was deemed uninhabitable, and, as such, the Red Cross was summoned to provide assistance to the occupants of the unit affected by the fire,” Priest said. “One feline pet is being evaluated by the occupant at a local veterinarian as a precaution.”

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the West Hartford Fire Marshal’s office.

Priest noted that time changes such as daylight saving time are frequently associated with the fire safety campaign, “Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries”.

“It is a good reminder, in the face of such an event, to remember that smoke detectors save lives, and changing batteries and testing smoke detectors is critical,” Priest added.