Child Safely Escapes Bradley St House Fire

Putnam, CT – A child was able to safely alert 911 and escape their home Tuesday afternoon as flames tore through the structure.

At approximately 3:25 p.m. on Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024, members of the Putnam Fire Department, and 1st alarm companies, were dispatched to 19 Bradley St for reports of a candle that had caught fire within a bedroom and was extending throughout the residence.

Minutes after the call was dispatched, Putnam Police Officers arrived on the scene to find the building heavily involved with fire. The child was located safely outside of the building and the structure was confirmed to be unoccupied.

According to Assistant Fire Chief Kerry Farrell, Putnam Fire Department, firefighters arrived to find heavy fire coming from the first and second-floor windows. Knowing that the only person who was home at the time of the fire had safely evacuated the house, the decision was made to make an exterior attack before transitioning into the home.

Assistant Chief Farrell went on to explain, that the main body of the fire was knocked down with a deck gen (a truck-mounted nozzle designed to output between 500 and 2000 gallons of water per minute) before any crews went inside. Once enough of the fire had been knocked down, crews began interior attacks with hand lines from both the A (Front) and C (Rear) sides of the building.

Early into the incident crews laid a 5″ Large Diameter Hose (LDH) from hydrants within a block of the building in both directions. These lines allowed the trucks pumping water to attack lines to remain sufficiently supplied throughout the incident without the need for tankers.

As firefighting operations progressed, crews made their way to the roof to cut vent holes in order to increase visibility for interior crews. Due to powerlines that had fallen in the road and driveway crews were limited in where they could park apparatus. As a result overhead powerlines hindered the ladder truck forcing firefighters to rely on ground ladders to access the roof.

Throughout the incident, South Killingly and Danielson firefighters stood by as FAST (Firefighter Assist Search Team) in case a firefighter became disoriented or incapacitated within the structure and needed rescue. Luckily, this team never had to take action.

No injuries occurred to any firefighters or civilians during the incident. Due to the significant damage to the home, One adult and Two children were displaced and are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross.

While initial reports indicated the fire began from a candle within a bedroom, the Putnam Fire Marshal’s Office is conducting an origin and cause investigation to determine an official cause of the fire. At the time of this article, no official cause has been released.

Agencies that responded included the Putnam Fire Department, East Putnam Fire Department, Attawaugan Fire Department, South Killingly Fire Department, Danielson Fire Department, Putnam Police Department, and Putnam EMS.

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