Rick Fontana Photo
A candle lit by a praying woman Sunday morning may have caused a fire that destroyed a two-family house in the Hill.
The fire started around 8 a.m. at the house at 55 Redfield St. It took firefighters three hours to extinguish it, in part because the narrow street delayed efforts to place an aerial ladder in position.
By the time it was over, five people were hospitalized with minor injuries, and 15 people in all — from 55 Redfield and a next-door house — had to find other lodgings. Assistant Fire Chief Matt Marcarelli said the fire destroyed 55 Redfield beyond repair: The front porch collapsed, the roof “is gone,” and two of the floors inside were burned through. The house next door had exterior damage but should be inhabitable again soon, he said.
David Hartman Photo
Hero cops Thompson and Ortiz.
Two police officers, Vanessa Thompson and Carlos Ortiz, arrived first at the scene. They saved lives.
Ortiz and neighbor Devlin Prescod, 42, “grabbed a ladder from a neighbor’s yard” to climb to the 55 Redfield balcony to rescue two stranded residents, according to a release by police spokesman Officer David Hartman. “Officer Thompson opened the first floor front door and called out for anyone else inside to come out. In all, seven residents and two dogs were led to safety.”
NHPD
Seven people lived at 55 Redfield, including the five who went to Yale-new Haven Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation and, in one instance, minor burns. Among those injured by Migdalia “Dolly” Garcia, a well-known figure in the Hill.
Marcarelli said the cause of the fire is under investigation. He said a young woman living at 55 Redfield was believed to have a candle lit shortly before the fire while engaged in prayer. The same woman was scheduled to move out of the house later Sunday.