A fire that ripped through a home on Center Street in West Haven early Tuesday morning may have been intentionally set, according to police.
Several items found in the home lead investigators to believe someone set the fire, police said. They did not say what items were found.
The house is being considered a crime scene.
When firefighters arrived at 339 Center Street around 3 a.m., there was a woman on the second floor who couldn’t get out. The stairs going up to the second floor were on fire and had collapsed.
Firefighters used a ladder on the inside of the home to get to the victim. The firefighters brought the victim down the back staircase and she was conscious and alert.
“The next challenge would be the weather conditions. Humidity makes operations very difficult, once we overcame those it really was a piece of cake. Fire was knocked down within five minutes, “ said Mike Buonasora, Captain of the West Haven Fire Department.
Authorities said the first floor was damaged by the flames and there is smoke damage on both floors.