MIDDLEBURY — Four Middlebury families were left without housing this past Saturday evening when a fire that authorities believe was caused by a space heater did substantial damage to an apartment building at 36 Seymour St.
Firefighters were toned out to the scene at 6:43 p.m. on Nov. 15 and arrived there within approximately five minutes, according to Middlebury Assistant Fire Chief David Shaw. Officials quickly noted heavy fire within the second floor of the building, Shaw said. The heat was so significant that firefighters had to at first direct water on the blaze from outside the building until it could be safely battled from within the structure, Shaw said.
Shaw noted that this was a particularly tricky blaze to fight due to the layout of the apartment building, which sits next to the railroad overpass across from Nino’s Pizza. He explained that the structure had been remodeled and added to during its history, creating multiple ceilings, walls and nooks for the fire to envelop. The fire was primarily based in what Shaw called an L-shaped addition within a corner of the structure.
“It was quite stubborn,” Shaw said of the fire. “It spread throughout the second floor.”
It took around 55 minutes to get the fire under control, according to Shaw.
Middlebury firefighters received mutual aid from the New Haven and Weybridge fire departments. Firefighters left the scene at around midnight, according to Shaw. No one was hurt or injured as a result of the blaze and all the tenants were successfully evacuated from the building, which Shaw said sustained major damage. American Red Cross representatives arrived quickly at the scene to find lodging for those displaced by the fire, which authorities have linked to a portable space heater.
The apartment building belongs to Salisbury resident Bryan Jones, according to Shaw.
Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected].