By KELLY GLISTA, Hartford Courant
MIDDLETOWN — An early morning house fire on Cooley Avenue has been extinguished and investigators are working to determine the cause, fire officials said Friday.
Firefighters responded to a two-family home at 21 Cooley Ave. about 3:58 a.m. A second alarm was called about 4 a.m.
Fire officials said that a propane tank on the second floor rear porch exploded during the fire, essentially blowing both the first and second floor porches off the house. Investigators do not believe the tank started the fire.
Four people were inside the building when the fire started, but all were able to exit the building safely, fire officials said. An occupant on the second floor smelled smoke and alerted the other residents.