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FOX61 First on the Scene: Early morning 3-alarm fire in Bethel knocked down

BETHEL — FOX61 was first on the scene of an early morning fire in Bethel. A building on Greenwood Avenue, with both apartments, and businesses, caught fir...

BETHEL -- FOX61 was first on the scene of an early morning fire in Bethel.

A building on Greenwood Avenue, with both apartments, and businesses, caught fire around 1 a.m. on Thursday.

Bethel fire chief, Scott Murphy says he is calling this a three-alarm fire, and says it took about three hours in total to knock it down completely. The fire originated on the second floor, and when firefighters arrived on scene it was already stretching through the windows and up to the roof

Several crews had to be called in to help: Danbury, Brookfield, Candlewood company, Stony Hill, Redding, Redding Ridge, a company from New Milford, and a volunteer company from Danbury.

Additionally, the Fairfield county coordinator was called in to help bring in fresh new crews so that those first on the scene can rest while the new crews continue working.

Murphy said he is thankful the fire barely spread to second building, and credits the crews for their hard work.

The Red Cross has placed 8 families, including 10 adults, and 5 children, in motels. The chief said there is a chance more will have to be relocated for a few days until the fire marshal deems the building as habitable.

The man who was in the room where the fire started was transported to Danbury Hospital, and then the Bridgeport Burn Center. Two firefighters were also taken to Danbury Hospital with minor injuries. One had a cut on his hand, and the other had smoke inhalation.

Local and state fire marshals continue with the overhaul process as they look for additional hot spots, as well as trying to determine the cause of the fire. The fire marshal will ultimately determine the cause of the fire, but the Murphy said it does not look like a criminal investigation at this time.

The Giggling Pig Shop which is also home to a summer camp for kids, was also affected by the fire. They are now moving to a new location in Bethel because of it and the shop owner has set up GoFundMe page to help pay for new supplies.

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