Lack Of Permit Probed In Fire

A firefighter lost part of his finger Wednesday while helping to put out a fire at a former Cedar Hill paint factory undergoing renovation into apartments, where a demolition crew may have been working without proper permits.

The original call came in around 6:50 a.m. as a report of smoke at 1455 State St., according to Assistant Fire Chief Matt Marcarelli.

Fire crews arrived to find flames inside the former painting and metal-finishing operation.

They eventually put out the fire, which left a four-foot-wide hole in the floor. A crew from Bridgeport-based All Pro had been working the day before inside the building.

Firefighter Robert Bonetti lost the tip of an index finger while helping to cut a metal tank, Marcarelli said.

The official cause of the fire is under investigation by the local fire department, the state fire marshal, and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). The building had a history of environmental problems under its previous owner, Bruno Suraci, as detailed in this article.

“It’s an old facility with chemicals,” so it was important to bring in the state authorities, Fire Marshal Bobby Doyle said at the scene.

DEEP Emergency Response Coordinator Ken LeClerc showed up. He, New Haven fire Inspector Ralph Colon and city Building Official Jim Turcio reported that All-Pro had a permit to do some ​“exploratory” work for asbestos or lead. It didn’t have a ​“hot” permit, which would allow it to use blow torches and do actual demolition, they said — but was doing that work without it.

All-Pro metal-cutter Caleb Davis said his crew has been working at the facility for three weeks, ​“cutting metal sheets, rods and pipes.”

“We cut some stuff. We didn’t put water on it, I’m guessing,” he said.

Fire investigators said a blow torch may have left sparks in the wooden floor supports, which may have caught fire overnight.

Suraci sold the property in 2015 to a Brooklyn investor affiliated with Ocean Management, a New Haven company that has purchased hundreds of units of housing in town in recent months with the intent of improving conditions. Ocean also is renovating the empty brick building next door to 1455 State, the former Cedar Hill Railroad YMCA, into 22 apartments. Turcio said appropriate permits are in place for that building. That building was originally constructed as a residential YMCA with dormitory rooms for railroad workers. In more recent history, it was an office building for the Visiting Nurse Association of Southern Connecticut.

Ocean Management’s principal, Mendy Katz, came to the scene of Wednesday morning’s fire. He said he had not known that the contractor, All-Pro, was doing work beyond the scope of its permit. Katz said his company makes sure to comply with the rules on its projects. ​“I’m working with the city to resolve the issues with the contractor,” he said.

Dave, the owner of All-Pro, who didn’t provide his last name (his nickname is ​“Bimbo”), said when reached by phone that he still doesn’t have all the information to ascertain what started the fire. ​“I don’t think anything from last night started that fire,” he maintained, adding, ​“thank you,” before hanging up.