BRIDGEPORT -- A three-year-old is dead and several more people injured after an overnight blaze on Sunday.
The Bridgeport Fire Department responded to reports of a kitchen fire that broke out at the Greentree condominium complex at 715 Frenchtown Road around 3 a.m.
Firefighters said as one team began fighting the raging fire on the first floor, the ladder company broke through a second story window knowing a child was still inside. They found a little girl underneath a crib in cardiac arrest, but they were unable to revive her.
Family members identified the child as Sincere Pettway, 3, of Bridgeport.
The two adults and three children who survived the fire were rushed to Bridgeport Hospital for treatment. Firefighters said they all had to be treated for smoke inhalation, some also had burns.
Family members said Sincere's mother Shaneese Pettway sustained serious burns trying to get back into the building to get her child out.
Firefighters said the smoke eventually spread to the second floor, but they were able to keep the fire contained to just one condo unit. The Bridgeport Fire Department Fire Marshal's office and the State Police Fire Marshal's Office continue to investigate the fire to determine a cause.
The condo had no working smoke alarms, according to firefighters. Bridgeport firefighters are urging homeowners to make sure they have working smoke detectors in their homes. The department even has a program where residents can request one for free.
Assistant Fire Chief Richard Thode said grief counselors were called in to help first responders who fought the fire and tried to rescue the toddler.
