Four students escaped injury but are now homeless after a fire ripped through the basement of their two-story house causing between $15,000 and $18,000 in damage.
“We were all sleeping in our rooms,” said John Sousa ’04 a resident of the home, “When we heard the fire alarms going off. We ran across the street and called 911 on a cell phone as we watched the house burn.”
The house, located on Penfield Place in the Black Rock district of Bridgeport, caught fire at 1:36 a.m. Monday, according to the Connecticut Post. The residents, Sousa, John DeFelice ’04, Greg Forrest ’04 and Glenn Newman ’04 have renters insurance.
West Side Assistant Fire Chief Bruce Portzelt told the Post that the fire was brought under control by 1:54 a.m.
“The house is not completely destroyed but the fire department deemed it unlivable,” Sousa said. “It just sucks because we have no place to live. We are looking for a temporary place but for now we are spending a few nights at the Sea Grape Inn.”
Portzelt told the Post that the fire began in the basement and went into the first floor, but firefighters stopped it at the ceiling before it could enter the second floor of the two-story house.
“I talked to the fire inspector late Tuesday night and he said that the cause was definitely electrical failure,” Sousa confirmed. “It was not caused by anything that we did.”
Sousa said that all of the residents’ clothes were ruined, but most of the damage was caused by the firefighters.
Sousa described the damage as results from firefighters smashing gaping holes through walls and damaging electronics as they went about the house combating the fire.
“The fire was crawling up the inside of my walls as I was sleeping; I had no idea it was there,” he said.
Sousa said that the only good thing that came of this tragic event was the support of other Fairfield students.
“Everyone has been really great,” he said. “I’ve gotten offers to stay at about 20 different houses… Everyone is offering to help. It’s just going to be a hassle for a few months.”
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