HARTFORD, Conn. — A second alarm fire destroyed a neighborhood market on Ashley Street and left two firefighters hospitalized for evaluation Monday morning.
The fire at 97 Ashley Street damaged the building that houses the Sigourney Market, a small grocery store in the Asylum Hill neighborhood. The fire started around 3 a.m.
Smoke blanketed several neighborhoods in the city. The building is located less than a block from Sigourney Park.
The Hartford Fire Department said that nobody was displaced from the fire.
Residents in the area said that this was their neighborhood market and its loss will be deeply felt. “It’s just too bad that this right here had to happen. Because it took away from the community, said James Thompson, who lives in the neighborhood. “It was surprising to see it. I just went to the store yesterday!”
“We offer a little bit of everything, we have meats, groceries, frozen food, fresh produce, candy, whatever you can think of," said Luis Rodrigez, whose family owns Sigourney market. “It’s a sad and happy feeling… because as soon as I walked in, everybody is like telling me that they're sorry. But it shows that everybody in the community cares, because not that many people are fortunate enough to go to different places and buy things.”
“It was a second alarm fire and it was a really stubborn fire due to the fact that it had a metal roof. And the metal roof kind of holds a lot of hot spots. And it’s hard for you to knock down all the fire inside the building because of that," said Chief Darius Ledas, Hartford Fire Department.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Hartford fire officials said two firefighters were taken to the hospital for evaluation for minor injuries and are expected to make a full recovery. No civilians were injured.
“It’s a closed door, but you know what they say, a closed door opens a new one down the line,” said Rodriguez.
RELATED: Hartford Police investigate shooting
This is a developing story.
Doug Stewart is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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