Fire evacuates Bella Vista apartments in New Haven

Source: New Haven Register, Conn.迷你倉出租Aug. 14--NEW HAVEN -- Firefighters responded Wednesday to an early morning electrical fire, which was ignited in the meter room of building D of the Bella Vista Apartments around 3:30 a.m.Two firefighters suffered flash burns after responding to the three-alarm fire, WTNH reports.Property Manager for Bella Vista Apartments Ashley Johnson said that there were no reported injuries to residents of the building."We heard a banging, and I think it was when the transformer blew," said Judy Schneider, resident of building D, floor 13. Schneider said she and her husband Carl later found out the fire was taking place right outside their apartment.William Johnson, regional manager for Carabetta Management who manages Bella Vista Apartments, said that it was an electrical fire ignited in the common area of the meter room on floor 13. The fire did not spread and was quickly extinguished, but from floor 13 down in the right wing of building D is a great deal of water.Fire and police crews are still on the scene and are trying to deal with the water issue in the building.Residents were evacuated to other parts of the complex, and the power remains out in the right wing of the building.Of the roughly 400 residents from building D, Johnson said about three-fourths will be allowed back into their apartments today. The rest, who won't be allowed back, will be provided accommodations and placed in a hotel.The right wing of building D has 19 floors with 18 apartments on each floor.Sonia Cornejo of the right wing third floor said that they shut off the electricity because the fire was spreading through the wires."My apartment was full of smoke and water," Cornejo said."I went out to see what was going on and the sprinkler was going off," Carl Schneider said. "I couldn't see anything because there was smoke and water everywhere."Schneider said he called the fire department seven times and was told to stay inside his apartment.Doug Dotson, who lives on floor 15, said he ran down his hallway knocking on doors and yelling for everyone to get out.Residents such as Patty Soto, who lives on the fifth floor of building D and said she was dead asleep, wouldn't have awakened if it were not for her neighbor."My cell phone was on vibrate, and I felt it ringing," Soto said.Soto said she ran to the window of the fifth floor and felt water."I knew it wasn't raining,儲存倉and then I realized it was the sprinkler," Soto said.Soto's father and other family members live in the same building. Her aunt was taken to the hospital for an anxiety attack, but Soto said she is doing fine.Elizabeth Melendez of building C, which is close to where the fire took place in the complex, said that, when something like this happens, it affects everyone."A lot of people in my building don't have power, and people in their building [building D] do," Melendez said. "Why do they and we don't?"Melendez's brother- and sister-in-law are the Schneiders, and she was concerned for their safety."I came to make sure they were all right, and I was told to go back into my building," Melendez said. "We are a community, and we are here to help each other."Melendez went on to say that the officials were doing a good job, though, and were providing everyone with information when asked.Denise Gomez of Wallingford said she was not pleased with the response. Her father, Louis Paduano, has lived in this complex for 15 years and she was planning to call Mayor DeStefano's office after she left."There are still some people in the building," Gomez said. "It is so disorganized."Gomez said she feels that the complex needs to practice for things like this."These residents are used to alarms going off," Gomez said. "But they need to practice getting people out of there."Melendez echoed Gomez's statement and said that the complex needs to make accommodations for people who are disabled."If we don't have power, how are the people with wheel chairs supposed to get down, or if they have oxygen or dialysis?" Melendez asked. "They need to have a better system."/p>Other residents, such as Judy Schneider, said she felt the response was handled very well."Red Cross came out and gave us coffee and doughnuts," Schneider said.Officials and Red Cross members who responded to the scene were taking down names and medications to be retrieved from the building.Fire and police crews are remaining on the scene to help residents of the complex.As of just before noon, power has been restored to one of the buildings, with one more to go.Follow Register reporter Charlotte Adinolfi on Twitter @NHR_CharlotteA for more updates.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.) Visit the New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.) at .nhregister.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉沙田