Firefighters pulled an 8-year-old girl from a burning home in the South End of Hartford on Friday evening and said a police officer and firefighter also suffered smoke inhalation.
Footage from the scene shows flames pouring from the roof of the three-story apartment building at 22-24 Hamilton Street, near the corner of Zion Street.
The blaze forced 12 families from their homes, including six families from the building that burned and six from an adjacent home, according to fire department spokesperson Captain Helene Lynch.
"It was really bad, reaching all the way through here," said David Rodriguez, who watched the building burn. "[There were] a lot of little ashes everywhere."
Lt. Raul Ortiz of the Hartford Fire Department said firefighters rescued an 8-year-old girl who was trapped in the burning home. The child was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, police said.
A firefighter and police officer were also hospitalized after suffering smoke inhalation. Police said no one was seriously hurt.
Firefighters launched a defensive attack in an effort to keep the flames from spreading, according to Ortiz. Nonetheless, four cars were destroyed and the duplex at 18-20 Hamilton Avenue suffered heavy damage, Lynch said.
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"The building was in flames and the breeze started to blow it to the next building," explained witness Tara Beckford.
Connecticut Light & Power responded to cut electricity to the neighborhood for safety purposes. Crews also faced possible water problems and said runoff from the hydrants began freezing over, and the Metropolitan District Commission was called to the scene.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze. The extent of the damage is not yet clear.
