Boy, 10, sounds alert of house fire in Milford

04/13/2006

Neal McNamara , Register Correspondent

MILFORD — An early evening house fire Wednesday that claimed the life of a dog and injured a firefighter could have been much worse if it weren’t for the quick action of a young boy. Rodrigo Sapriza, 10, was playing on Midwood Street when he saw black smoke pouring from an adjacent home at 125 Midwood St. He immediately alerted another neighbor, who dialed 911.

"I told (my neighbor) Emily to call 911," said Sapriza describing the scene. "I learned (to dial 911) in pre-school."

Sapriza’s neighbor, Emily Wist, 18, had just arrived home from a friend’s house, and was greeted by the house fire.

"I just saw black smoke (too)," said Wist, a Joseph A. Foran High School senior. Wist said she dialed 911 on her cellular phone.

Sapriza described seeing the fire as a "frightening experience," noting that he was scared when he saw the smoke.

Little did he know that his quick action may have saved the life of his neighbor. The neighbor, Chris Podilla, 20, was napping when the fire started, Fire Marshal Lee Cooke said. It was not clear how Podilla was alerted to the blaze. But Podilla, who watched firefighters smash up his home to extinguish the blaze, was later taken to Milford Hospital to be checked for injuries, Cooke said. Podilla’s father was at work in New Rochelle, N.Y, at the time of the fire, Cooke said.

Firefighters arrived on the scene only minutes after Wist called 911, and extinguished the blaze. Firefighter Shawn Murray, 49, was injured while fighting the fire, purportedly stepping in a hole in the home’s floor and breaking his ankle, according to a family member who was tending to Murray. The family member asked not to be identified.

A hospital official confirmed that both Murray and Podilla were treated and released.

The Podilla’s dog, a golden retriever, was killed in the blaze, said Assistant Animal Control Officer Rick George.

Cooke said the fire caused extensive damage throughout the two-story home, which sits on the corner of Calf Pen Road and Midwood Lane. Although fire officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, there was no suspicion of arson, Cooke said.