Whalley Avenue reopened Thursday in the Westville section of New Haven after a three-alarm fire destroyed a popular pub and the five apartments upstairs.
The wooden building – which went up more than a century ago at 882 Whalley Avenue and is listed in the National Historic Registry – has been deemed a total loss.
City leaders convened Thursday morning to "reaffirm with one another and reassure the public that Whalley Avenue and the rest of their commercial district is safe, secure, and once again open for business," according to a spokesperson for the mayor's office.
A spokesperson for the mayor's office said 78 firefighters used 3 million gallons of water and 300 bottles of oxygen while battling the blaze.
Four were injured injured, including at least two who were taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation and one who was under observation for chest pains.
The fire, which broke out around 5 p.m. Monday and raged overnight, displaced nine adults and one child, according to the mayor's office. Everyone made it out safely and firefighters rescued a cat named Molly.
"Because of the way the structure is made, [the fire] took off into the walls and we were basically chasing it all over the place," said New Haven Fire Chief Allyn Wright.
Local
Demolition of the building began Tuesday and a stretch of Whalley Avenue remained closed near Fountain and Blake streets until late Thursday afternoon.
A one-block section of Central Avenue is still closed between Fountain Street and Whalley Avenue until demolition is complete, according to the mayor's office. The area could remain shut down for another week while workers secure the site.
Natural gas service was shut off to 43 customers, and 45 homes lost electricity after a power line snapped outside the building. All services have since been restored, the mayor's office said.
City leaders will meet again next week to update the public and respond to any issues that arise.
Partial collapse pic.twitter.com/HSRuw2Qtm1 — NewHavenFire (@NewHavenFire) August 25, 2014
