Hartford Apartment Fire Displaces 20, Spreads to Nearby Buildings

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) — A late-night apartment fire in Hartford forced 20 people, including 18 adults and two children, to evacuate into freezing temperatures early Friday morning. The blaze, which began in a vacant three-family brick building, spread to two adjacent structures, marking the third fire in the city in less than a week.

Hartford police received a call about the fire at 11:45 p.m. Thursday on Ward Street in the Frog Hollow neighborhood. District Chief Darius Ledas said the flames quickly engulfed the vacant building and extended to a neighboring three-story multi-family residence. Firefighters called for a second alarm as they worked to contain the blaze.

“The cold temperatures make it miserable and more difficult for the firefighters, but they worked hard and prevented a third building from catching on fire,” Ledas said. The vacant building partially collapsed during the firefight, while the adjacent structures sustained significant and minimal damage, respectively.

One resident slipped and fell on the icy roads caused by freezing water from fire hoses but was unharmed. No firefighters were injured. Families from one of the affected buildings were allowed to return home, while the Hartford Special Services Unit and the American Red Cross assisted the displaced residents.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. This incident brings the total number of people displaced by recent fires in Hartford to 58.