PLAINFIELD, Conn. — A person is dead after a townhouse fire in Plainfield overnight, officials said.
Plainfield police and fire crews were called to the Moosup Gardens Apartments on Gorman Street on the report of a structure fire just after 12:30 a.m. The fire first broke out after midnight, leaving both the outside and inside of the house charred.
The fire reportedly involved multiple units at the townhouse complex, and when officers got to the scene, they learned there might be a resident trapped in one of the units on fire.
The Moosup Fire Department, along with the assistance of Plainfield, Atwood Hose, Central Village, and other neighboring fire departments, all responded to the scene and immediately got to work dousing the flames.
"It was engulfed in flames, it was coming up over the roof, the entire apartment was just engulfed," said Jesstina Martone, a neighbor, told FOX61.
Martone and her husband were two of several neighbors that first saw the flames and thick black smoke, immediately springing into action to evacuate people in the nearby houses
"He comes running outside without his socks and shoes on and he started banging on everyone’s doors," said Martone about her husband. "He had everyone back up their cars so the engines could come in."
Nearly an hour and a half later, first responders found 64-year-old Patti Robinson in one of the affected apartments. Robinson was pronounced dead 15 minutes later.
Officials said Robinson's cause of death was smoke inhalation and thermal burns, ruled accidental.
Neighbors told FOX61 the victim was an elderly woman; they were able to run inside and rescue her dog but the flames and smoke were too heavy to find the woman in time.
A loss felt throughout the entire neighborhood.
"We would walk our son to school and she would say hi and make a little conversation with him, she was very sweet. One of those neighbors that’s good to have that’s good for the community and it’s just really sad that someone like that had to go," said Martone.
The fire marshal says one connecting home was damaged but is currently vacant. Neighbors say that the family moved out hours before the house next door went up in flames.
Fire officials said no one is displaced from smoke or water damage, but nearby homes are without power.
Neighbors said many families are still shaken up. For the Martones, it will be another sleepless night.
"It was just horrible I haven’t been to sleep since then, I had a lot of anxiety," said Martone." I have two small kids of my own so I definitely worry about the safety and stuff."
There's no word on when power will be restored to the row of homes in building five. An electrical wire needs to be repaired that was damaged in the fire.
The Red Cross is helping those impacted families.
The Plainfield Police Department, fire marshal's office and the Connecticut State Police Fire Explosion Investigation Unit will investigate the cause of the fire, officials said.
Anyone with information regarding this fire is requested to contact the Plainfield Police Department at (860)-564-0804.
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Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
Lindsey Kane is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at Lkane@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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