Overnight Apartment Fire

Early Saturday morning, the Milford Fire Department 911 Center received an activated fire alarm from the River Park Apartments, located at 38 West River Street. When units arrived they found water flowing from sprinkler on the 4th floor and upon further investigation located an active fire in the attic and roof area.

Because of the size of the building and number of elderly occupants, the fire quickly progressed to three alarms. Units from the Stratford Fire Department were also called directly to the scene to assist. Crews utilized the buildings standpipe system to supply their hoses on the fourth floor with water and also needed to cut ventilation holes in the roof.

A total of ten apartments were damaged during the fire, mostly from water damage. The occupants of the apartments are working with building management and the Red Cross to find housing overnight. One occupant was transported to Milford Hospital for care issues.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Fire Marshall.

While the fire was active, crews from the West Shore Fire Department and the Orange Fire Department were manning Milford Stations and responded to numerous medical emergencies and motor vehicle accidents.

Smoke Detectors Alert Family of Dryer Fire

The occupants of a private residence on Wilson Street were awoken early Wednesday morning by fire alarms sounding and smoke in the house. Before going to bed, they had placed a load of laundry in the dryer. During the overnight hours the dryer caught fire. The occupants were alerted to the fire by smoke detectors in the house. They awoke to find smoke in the house and quickly dialed 911 and evacuated the house.

Fire department units arrived on scene finding smoke showing from the residence. The fire was minor and contained to the dryer and vent hose and was quickly knocked down. Firefighters then ventilated the smoke from the house. The occupants were checked on scene by fire department paramedics for smoke inhalation.

Fire Captain Christopher Zak says, "This call shows the necessity for working fire alarms, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors."

Transformer Problem Sparks Minor Apartment Fire

A fault in a power transformer sparked a minor fire in an apartment building electrical room late Tuesday night. Firefighters were called to the area of an apartment complex on Meadowside Road on reports of a possible transformer explosion in the area. Upon further investigation, firefighters discovered a minor fire in an electrical room of the apartment complex located at 308 Meadowside Rd. The fire was quickly knocked down and no injuries were reported.

The fire disrupted the electrical service to the complex, leaving the emergency lighting and fire detection systems inoperable. The Milford Fire Department maintained a presence on the scene throughout the night providing emergency lighting to the interior hallways and fire watch operations for the safety of the residents while the problem was corrected.

Search Suspended for Missing Boater

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended search operations for a missing boater after two days of hunting the waters of Long Island Sound off Charles Island in Milford.

The search began for Raymond Callan, 57, of Fairfield after his 30-foot sailboat was found Saturday afternoon circling with its engine on about two miles south of Charles Island in Milford with nobody on board. The boat was towed by Milford police to a public city dock.

An intense multi-agency search effort was launched involving the Milford Fire Department, Police Department, and US Coast Guard, however no sign of Callan was found. The US Coast Guard called off the search at 9 a.m. Monday morning.

Callan reportedly left Bridgeport early Saturday on his way to Block Island, R.I.

Milford Fire Frees Stuck Van

The Milford Fire Department assisted in freeing a van from the parking garage of the Connecticut Post Mall today. The van had become stuck after entering an area in which the clearance was to low. The roof of the van became jammed on a support in the roof of the garage. Members of Engine 7 had to remove part of the van's roof with the "jaws of life" in order to move the van without causing any structural damage to the garage.