Edgefield Avenue Fire Classified as Accidental

On June 22, 2010 at 2040 hrs, a third alarm fire destroyed one home and severely damaged two others at 55 Edgefield Avenue. The fire was so intense that over (50) 911 telephone calls were received and a dozen had come from the East Haven area where people saw the fire from across the water.

At the height of the blaze over 40 firefighters from Milford and West Haven battled to contain the fire. Units from Stratford, Bridgeport and West Haven were used to cover the remaining emergency calls.

Assistant Chief Alan Zingaro has classified the fire as accidental. The cause of the fire has been determined to be from careless smoking and started on the outside of the structure in the front porch area.

Fire Captain Chris Zak said, "All residents are reminded that about 3,500 Americans die each year in fires and about 20,000 are injured. Many of them might be alive today if they had only learned what to do if there is a fire. One of the best ways to protect yourself and your family is to have a working smoke alarm with a working battery."