NAUGATUCK -- Fire alarms rang out in a three-story apartment building at 66 Terrace Ave. around 6:30 Sunday night and residents like Jon Goddell tried to hurry down a fire escape from the top floors.
But heavy smoke billowed from flames on the first floor and blocked the exit. Goodell and others ran back upstairs and yelled out their windows to catch the attention of firefighters.
“We really have to thank these guys,” Goddell said of firefighters. “They did a phenomenal job.”
Firefighters used a ladder truck to rescue eight people trapped on the second and third floors of the apartment building, which has 12 residents. The fire broke out on the first floor of a rear apartment; that apartment was completely ruined by fire and smoke.
A resident was treated for smoke inhalation, and a firefighter was treated for exhaustion. Nobody else was injured.
The fire displaced all 12 people, but all tenants were thankful for the response.
“These guys were fantastic,” said David Mancini, who lives in the apartment complex. “Watching their response and dedication to their work was just incredible.”
The American Red Cross responded and placed two people. Everybody else was staying with friends and family, firefighters said.
The fire remains under investigation but appears to be accidental, said Fire Marshal William Scanlon.
The Waterbury and Beacon Falls fire departments helped Naugatuck.
The building at 66 Terrace Ave. is 9,386 square feet and was built in 1860. It is owned by Wayne Buckmiller and is appraised at $1 million, according to Naugatuck land records.
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