Victim of fire that may have started in couch not immediately identified; woman, 33, flown to R.I. hospital for burn treatment
By Chuck Potter
Publication: The Day
Published 01/12/2010 12:00 AM
New London- A man was killed and a woman seriously injured Monday afternoon in a fire in the second floor apartment of a two-family house at 20 Orchard St.
New London Fire Department Group Four Battalion Chief Keith Nichols said firefighters arrived to find the apartment full of smoke from a couch that had been burning but was only smoldering when they entered.
The two victims were found unconscious in the room.
Officials were trying Monday night to identify the male victim and notify his relatives. The female victim, identified by Lawrence & Memorial Hospital spokesman Kelly Anthony as Dinyse Smith, 33, was taken to L&M in critical condition before being flown by Life Star helicopter to Kent Hospital in Warwick, R.I., for hyperbaric treatment of her burns. A hospital spokeswoman said she is in serious condition Tuesday afternoon.
According to a nursing supervisor at Kent Hospital, Smith was still being evaluated late Monday night and her condition was unavailable.
Nichols said a man reported going to the front door of the apartment after hearing someone groaning inside and found it to be hot, so firefighters entered the apartment with a hose at the ready. The apartment was full of smoke because the couch had been smoldering for a while, he said.
"When the first crew went, the fire was almost out," Nichols said. "There was almost no visibility because of the smoke. They had to break out a few windows to let some of the smoke out."
Ambulances from Waterford and New London took the victims to L&M.
Nichols said the fire, which was called in at 5:23 p.m. and cleared two hours later, was contained to one room. He said fire and police investigators on the scene would try to determine how the blaze started, and where.
A first-floor resident who identified herself only as Mary said she was getting ready for work when she heard a thump and smelled the smoke as it began to permeate her own apartment. She said she called 911 and then alerted neighbors.
"I went upstairs and knocked on the door and no one answered," she said. "I knocked again, harder. I knew someone was in there because I could hear them making noise. Then I got out."
Didarula Chisty was unloading a truck filled with furniture when he saw smoke. He said he saw and smelled a lot of smoke, but never saw any flames.
Firefighters worked in treacherous conditions as snow on the unshoveled sidewalk of the adjacent property had melted and caused icy conditions at the house. Firefighters spread sand to make their work area safer.
"It does slow you down a bit," Nichols said. "You can't use as many ladders. If it had been a more severe fire it could have critically hampered us. If we had to open more ventilation in the roof it could have been a problem. Ladders don't do well on ice."
The narrowness of the street and the overhead utility lines prohibited the use of the ladder truck that was on the scene. Nichols said the ladder truck would have been used to gain access to ventilate the house. Slower-to-set-up hand ladders had to be used instead, a task that was made more difficult by the slippery conditions.
New London Fire Chief Ron Samul, Police Chief Margaret Ackley and City Manager Martin Berliner all responded to the scene, as did city councilor and off-duty firefighter Michael E. Passero.