One resident and three firefighters were hurt in a three-alarm fire that raged from Monday night into Tuesday morning in the Frog Hollow neighborhood of Hartford, according to the fire department.
Flames broke out at 617 Park Street just before 11 p.m. Monday and spread through the building, which houses a convenience store on the first floor and apartments above. By midnight, the fire was crawling through the walls and traveled through all four floors of the building.
Fire officials said everyone made it out of the building, but one resident was hurt when she fell trying to get out.
The fire department rang three alarms as the roof of the building began to collapse. Firefighters retreated outside and continued dousing the flames, keeping an eye on hot spots throughout the morning.
Embers flared up over and over again as firefighters worked to get it under control. Smoke billowing from the building Tuesday morning filled the air just off Interstate 84. Crews said the humidity has also posed a challenge.
The fire was declared under control around 4:45 a.m. Tuesday.
Officials said the firefighters who were injured suffered mostly from heat exhaustion. They were taken to Hartford Hospital to be evaluated.
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Anastatian Roman, a resident of the building who also runs a non-profit business there, she said she is concerned about losing all of her personal possessions.
"I would have to begin again at ground zero," she said.
Rafael Brido, of Hartford, has two businesses in the building and at least one of them was destroyed.
He said most of his family works in the building and he's trying to figure out how to rebuild.
"You want to rebuild, you want to come back from this," he said. "That’s my life, that’s my family life."
Officials said the damage inside is significant and crews are investigating the cause of the fire.
Park Street has been closed at Broad Street and police urged drivers to avoid it, as well as local roads near the intersection of Park and Grand streets in Hartford.
If you are in the area, it might be challenging to breathe because of the thickness of the smoke. Crews have been using oxygen tanks.