Two people are now dead after a fire in New Britain on Monday afternoon, according to officials. The mayor’s office said the woman who died was found in an illegal attic apartment.
Firefighters were called to the residence, a two-family home on Belden Street, at 12:24 p.m. Monday to fight a fire in the attic and found heavy fire from the top floor, according to the mayor’s office.
They said a man jumped out of a window before firefighters arrived and was brought to a hospital with burns. The mayor's office said he died on Wednesday.
Two other people were evacuated from the building. Once the fire was out, crews were able to go inside and a woman was found dead in the attic apartment, the mayor’s office said.
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The landlord, Rafael Tello, said the man living in the attic space had been working for him, but he was working toward evicting the man.
“The guy broke into the apartment, and I started the eviction because everything was disconnected – no power, no heat, everything was out,” Tello said on Tuesday. “I started the eviction and he was looking for an apartment.”
Another man on the property, who said he also works for Tello, said the man upstairs was a “squatter.”
But the mayor’s office said illegal units in this building aren't a new issue. Stewart said state laws prevent cities from taking action beyond just issuing violations.
The identities of the man and woman who died are being withheld pending family notification.
The displaced tenants are being put up by the Red Cross in a local hotel. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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