Noelle Frampton And Keila Torres, Staff Writers
Published: 11:22 p.m., Thursday, August 5, 2010
BRIDGEPORT -- Nearly two weeks after two city firefighters died battling a fire in an illegal third-floor apartment on Elmwood Avenue, the investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths remains in full swing and is likely to continue for weeks.
Details are still murky, and rumors are swirling about possible malfunctioning of outdated equipment that may have contributed to the July 24 deaths of Lt. Steven Velasquez and Firefighter Michel Baik, but none of the tales have been officially corroborated.
Its also still unclear whether any building or fire code violations were found in the illegal attic apartment where the firefighters' unconscious bodies were discovered.
City records show the three-story structure at 39-41 Elmwood Ave. was built as a two-family house in 1909 and because no permits were ever issued to convert it to a three-family house, it is unlikely fire officials ever inspected the third-floor to ensure the space contained the proper fire exits.
State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance said Wednesday the investigation by the State Fire Marshal's office, staffed by troopers with special fire investigation training, would take "several more weeks" to complete. He said the probe includes equipment inspection.
No information will be released until it is complete, he added. "We don't release anything piecemeal -- ever."
The cause of Velasquez's death is still undetermined, while an autopsy found that Baik died of smoke inhalation and complications of a heart condition.
The state Chief Medical Examiner's office said the results in Velasquez's case are "pending further studies" because the autopsy was inconclusive. An employee at the office would not say what those studies were, but added that they take eight to 12 weeks to complete.
The City Council observed a moment of silence in memory of the two men at its Monday night meeting, and several council members spoke their regrets for the losses.
Mayor Bill Finch thanked a number of towns who helped cover the city during the funerals on Friday, as well as the firemen who came from far and near to pay respects. He said Fire Chief Brian Rooney did an admirable job dealing with the tragedy's aftermath.
Lydia Martinez, D-137, said city leaders need to make sure the city's firemen have the equipment they need to stay safe, and many council members nodded in response.
Martinez said later, on Tuesday, that she had heard nothing definitive that would lead her to believe anything was wrong with the perished firemen's gear, but "if it's not up to date, we should bring it up to date.
"We should have the best for our police department and our fire department," she said. "We cannot risk the lives of the people who are working with us. It might be that we have the best, but if we don't, we need to look into it. It's very hard to see firefighters die like that."
Fire Union President Robert Whitbread said that he would "stay out of (the investigation)" until it's over.
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