Officials have deemed two overnight fires “suspicious.”
The two took place within 25 minutes of each other.
The first broke out in the stairs between the second and top floors of a house at Howard Avenue and 3rd Street in the Hill around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. According to police spokesman Officer Joe Avery, firefighters kept the fire from spreading through house. Two families live in the house; one woman went to the hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation. The arson unit is investigating.
It’s investigating the fire that began shortly before midnight and “damaged one half to three quarters” of 161 Ella Grasso Blvd., as well, according to Avery. No one was hurt in the fire; two nearby buildings were evacuated.
Also, according to Avery: A (bogus) bomb threat cleared Career High at 8:55 a.m. Thursday. And police closed off Blatchley Avenue between Grand Avenue and Woolsey Wednesday after “an accident where a tractor trailer took down wires and a couple of telephone poles.”
Shortly after 4 p.m. Larry Pizzagalli, a lineman leader with United Illuminating, was working with a team from the electric company to restore power to several buildings. The 2 p.m. accident cut off power and telephone service to buildings in the area, and shut off power to the traffic light at Blatchley and Grand Avenues.
Pizzagalli said his team had already replaced the two damaged utility poles. He expected the work to take a total of about four hours.
Thomas MacMillan Photo
Workers from AT&T were also on hand. Locals peered out of windows to watch as they worked.
Four UI trucks were in operation, and several AT&T trucks as well. Part of a broken utility pole lay in the back of a pickup truck.
