Fire Causes Extensive Damage to Conrad Street House [Updated]

No one was injured when a fire ripped through a Conrad Street house Wednesday afternoon, but the structure has been rendered uninhabitable.

Firefighters rescued a family dog that was in the house at the time of the blaze, Naugatuck Fire Chief Ken Hanks said.

The fire broke out just before 4 p.m., when no one was home. A neighbor who saw smoke called 911, according to Hanks. Firefighters were on scene — at 100 Conrad St. — a few minutes later, he said.

Flames and smoke were showing from the single-family house, and firefighters quickly got the blaze under control despite working under tough conditions that included frozen ground and below-freezing temperatures. Firefighters from Beacon Falls provided support on scene, while Oxford covered the downtown area.

Hanks said the fire appears to have originated on the first floor, and then worked its way into the walls up toward the attic. The cause has not been determined, and an investigation is underway. Whether there were working smoke detectors in the home will be part of that investigation, Hanks said.

The house suffered extensive damage from heat and smoke, Hanks said, noting that it was rendered uninhabitable.

Conrad Street has been closed to traffic, and Hanks said it would likely remain that way for some time while firefighters continued to ventilate the house and investigate the cause.