On Tuesday Afternoon, at 17:46hrs the full assignment was dispatched to a reported apartment fire at the Cedar Court Senior Housing Complex which is located on Cedar St, only a short distance away from NFD Station 2.

NFD companies arrived to find a large multi building senior housing complex with fire showing from a first floor apartment. The fire was located in a section of the complex that contains two buildings with 48 apartments that share a common interior hallway under a wood frame roof. The volume of fire coming from the first floor apartment began to melt the siding in the interior hallway which created a significant smoke condition on the 1st and 2nd floors trapping multiple elderly occupants in their apartments.

A 3rd Alarm was immediately struck for all NFD companies to respond to the scene. The first due Engine Companies stretched multiple hoselines and were able to extinguish and contain the fire to the apartment of origin. The Rescue and Truck companies along with all remaining NFD Engine companies quickly searched all apartments on both floors and encountered multiple occupants, 4 were rescued and removed via the interior stairways. Norwalk Professional Firefighter’s also rescued 8 elderly occupants by utilizing ground ladders. NFD firefighters also rescued and removed several pets during the course of operations. Norwalk Police Officers on scene also assisted evacuating residents and banging on doors to alert occupants.

Due to the numerous rescues being made and with a daily on-duty staffing of only 33 Norwalk Professional Firefighters, a 4th alarm was struck which brought in multiple resources from the City of Stamford FD to assist on scene.

Norwalk Hospital EMS treated multiple residents on scene; two were transported to Norwalk Hospital for further treatment.

Following the fire, the building was posted unfit for occupancy. The Red Cross is assisting those displaced as a result. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Norwalk FD Fire Marshal’s Division.

While all City of Norwalk FD companies operated on scene, in-station coverage was provided by the Town of New Canaan FD Local 3224, Town of Westport FD Local 1081, Town of Fairfield FD Local 1426 and Rowayton VFD.