First fire, then ice. Fire crews in Meriden faced multiple issues when there were called to a fire on South 2nd Street Monday night.
According to Assistant Chief Robert Burdick, companies arrived to find flames toward the back on the home.
“We found fire on the outside and a little on the inside of the back of the building by where the chimney is,” Burdick said.
The home is currently under construction and Burdick says it was empty when the fire began. While Burdick says they extinguished the fire quickly and no injuries were reported, he also says cold conditions made their night difficult.
“The water coming out of the hose just froze right on the ground,” Burdick said.
Nimesh Patel is the owner of Old Dutch Liquor on the corner of South 2nd and Handover Street. When firefighters opened up the hydrant next to his shop, it took only seconds for the water spilling on his sidewalk, shop and apartment steps to freeze.
“It’s very dangerous now I don’t know what to do now,” Patel said.
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He worked throughout the evening to put down salt to aid pedestrians but had concerns that would not be enough.
“I mean I threw I don't know how many pounds here,” Patel said. “It is still icy I cannot help.”
He turned to the firefighters for assistance and they joined him spreading sand along his corner. Crews also brought in a city sand truck to help prevent black ice from forming along the streets.
