Four Meriden firefighters and one occupant of a multi-family home in Meriden were hospitalized after a three-alarm fire this weekend, city officials said Sunday.
The Meriden Fire Department responded to fire that broke out in a three-story home at the corner of Broad Street and Bunker Avenue around 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Firefighters saw heavy flames coming from the side porch of the wood frame home as the fire rapidly spread through the first and second floor, according to Meriden Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Dunn.
According to Dunn, witnesses broke down a back door and were pulling people to safety. They told firefighters that someone was trapped on the third floor, Dunn said.
Firefighters who attempted to reach the third floor inside the house were pushed back by heavy fire conditions that resulted in two firefighters being burned, officials said. Two other firefighters extended a 35-foot ground ladder and entered through a third-floor window. They located an unconscious man, carried him down the ladder and provided emergency medical care before transferring him to a waiting ambulance.
The man was listed in critical but stable condition at Jacobi Medical Center in Bronx, New York, on Sunday morning where he is receiving hyperbaric treatment, according to Dunn.
Four Meriden firefighters were transported to local hospitals for injuries that included burns, cardiac issues and smoke inhalation, Dunn said.
One of the firefighters was sent to Bridgeport Hospital for burns to his head and ears. He has been released from the hospital along with the other firefighter who sustained burns, according to Dunn. Both firefighters will require further treatment from specialists as they recover at home, according to officials.
The two other firefighters who were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation and cardiac exertion were treated, released and cleared to return to work, Dunn said Sunday.
The Meriden Fire Department received assistance battling the fire from departments in Berlin, Middletown, New Britain, Southington and Wallingford.
Dunn said the people who broke down the back door and pulled people to safety were true heroes.
“The Meriden Fire Department thanks them for their brave assistance,” Dunn said.
The fire remains under investigation, officials said.