HARTFORD, Conn. — Ten adults and five children are displaced in Hartford's South End after police said a man intentionally started a fire inside a third-floor unit. Police have a suspect they're preparing a warrant for but have not identified the man they say started the fire.
Mother of two, Tamarra Ricketts, was doing her best to mask overwhelm Thursday after her first-floor unit was damaged by water and smoke. She was lying in bed with her family when her partner opened the door to find fire.
“It was a fight upstairs so they were fighting upstairs before all of this happened,” she said. “It was still a bunch of commotion, so he opened the door and that’s when he said the building’s on fire—get the kids.”
Most of her belongings inside this first-floor apartment on Wethersfield Avenue were damaged by smoke and water. All of it happened on her daughter Hinata’s 11th birthday.
“I was ok with the accident. But to know that somebody did this intentionally—not thinking about the other lives that lived in this building. It pisses me off.”
The family was gearing up for a backyard birthday celebration but is instead being assisted by the Red Cross, which is providing temporary housing for displaced families. Ricketts doesn’t know what she’ll do after that but says she’s going to celebrate her daughter’s birthday despite losing her home.
“I’m not going to let anything get us down. You know? We have God on our side so that’s all that matters.”
Authorities say the fire originated in a closet and was intentionally started by a man on the third floor.
“It seems like it was an attempt to harm himself or having a mental episode,” said LT Aaron Boisvert.
That man is being treated at the hospital for smoke inhalation.
“The good news is that some of these arsons go unsolved this one will not," added Boisvert.
But not all was lost. Twelve hours after families ran to the parking lot in terror, Ricketts found the stray kitten they rescued months ago wheezing under her daughter’s bed.
“Everybody was out alive and safe that was the most important thing. Material things can be replaced.”
Police have not charged the suspect at this time but said an arrest warrant is forthcoming.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with any information regarding the case is asked to call the HPD Tip Line at 860-722-TIPS (8477).
If you'd like to help the Rickett family recover from this tragic incident, click here to donate to their GoFundMe.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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