February 20, 2021
Fire Destroys Garage - House Saved
Mutual Aid - 1911 Whitney Avenue, No. Haven
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February 20, 2021 - For seven-tenths of a mile, from Short Hill Road in Spring Glen to the Mill River at the northbound parkway entrance in Centerville, the Hamden-North Haven town line goes right down the middle of Whitney Avenue. Even numbers are in Hamden, odd numbers in North Haven.
Earlier this afternoon the homeowner of 1911 Whitney Avenue, a Cape Cod style house across from Spring Glen School, heard a loud pop outside his house. Checking it out, he discovered the "pop" was most likely one of his car's tires exploding in a fire that was consuming his 2009 Honda sedan and his garage. He immediately called 9-1-1 and reported the fire to the North Haven fire department.
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| Photo of 1911 Whitney Avenue from Google Earth. Note the close proximity of the detached garage to the house. |
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Having dispatched fire apparatus from the NoHFD's fire headquarters at Broadway and Washington Avenue, the North Haven dispatcher immediately contacted Hamden Central Communications. Only a little more than a mile from the fire scene, Hamden's Station 4 is a lot closer than North Haven's fire headquarters. Hamden's Squad 1 would undoubtedly arrive first.
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However, when the mutual aid call was received at 1311 hours, Hamden's Squad 1 was out on a medical call, as was second due Engine 3. This left third due Engine 5, about 3 miles from the scene, which Central dispatched.
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Hearing the dispatch, Hamden Batt. Chief Rich Otlowski started responding in Car 3 from Dixwell Avenue near the high school. At Stop & Shop near Skiff Street, he saw a plume of black smoke rising over Whitney Avenue to the east. Black smoke? No water was on the fire yet, he thought.
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Car 3 turned right from Skiff onto Whitney, the smoke was still black - still no water. Nearing the scene, from his rearview mirror B/C Otlowski saw a piece North Haven fire apparatus approaching. At the scene seconds later, he found the garage fully involved and "about 75% down."
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| Close proximity of the garage to the house is easily seen in this photo - CLICK TO ENLARGE - Photo by Geoff Johnson |
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| The North Haven firefighters attacked the car with foam, while protecting the exposure with water. Hamden's Engine 5 supplemented their tank water. CLICK TO ENLARGE - Photo by Geoff Johnson |
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On their arrival, the NoHFD crew pullled a line and started protecting the house, about ten feet from what was left of the garage and the 2009 Honda sedan inside. They used both water and foam.
Capt. Jeff Naples of Hamden's Engine 5 reported that when they arrived on scene shortly thereafter they supplied the North Haven pumper with tank water due to a problem with a hydrant.
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| Overhauling - CLICK TO ENLARGE - Photo by Geoff Johnson |
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| Down wind of the flames, this vinyl fence on the south end of the property took all the heat - CLICK TO ENLARGE - Photo by Geoff Johnson |
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B/C Otlowski noted that Mother Nature was on the side of the firefighters - and the homeowner. Wind coming from the north pushed the flames away from the house. Without the wind, or if the wind were pushing from the south, noted the B/C, the house almost certainly would have caught fire before any apparatus arrived on scene. However, the vinyl fence on the south side of the property took the heat instead.
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The North Haven firefighters did an excellent job preventing further loss to the homeowner. Good job!
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