NEW BRITAIN -- Several people in New Britain were taken to the hospital after a fire broke out at a condominium complex at 220 Lasalle Street.
Nine people, including both adults and children, were staying in the two units that were destroyed in the fire. New Britain Fire Department Captain Michael Berry told FOX61 firefighters had to make three rescues pulling multiple people out of the building who were having a hard time getting out on their own. Three of those people suffered "serious" injuries, a statement from the city said.
The fire department is investigating the cause. They are also working to find out whether there were working smoke detectors in the apartments when the fire started.
Courtney Jones lives in another condo in the complex. He woke up to the sounds of screams from both family members and firefighters telling residents to get out.
"It looked like a battlefield. It was bad," said Jones.
He said, "Honestly, I thought they wasn't going to make it because of how big the flames was."
Water supply was an issue, due to a frozen fire hydrant that had been dug out after the storm, but that cold temperatures froze overnight. Captain Berry said, however, the firefighters were still able to knock the fire down within the first 45 minutes they were on scene and keep the flames from spreading to any additional units. Firefighters from West Hartford and Hartford provided mutual aid to the city while firefighters responded.
The Red Cross has mobilized a team to help those who are now without a home.
We're told one of the units housed 3 people, all of whom needed to be rescued, and the other housed four people, including 2 young children. The family of four has set up a Gofundme page to help recover what they lost in the fire.
