By Andreas Yilma Citizen’s News
PROSPECT — A family of four is displaced after a fire broke out on their side porch early Monday afternoon.
The Volunteer Fire Department of Prospect was dispatched to 9 Merriman Lane sometime around 1:30 p.m. and arrived to flames from the side porch. Four residents had evacuated the single-family home, Prospect Fire Chief Mike Guastaferri said.
“Prospect firefighters made an aggressive interior attack and within about 10 minutes of our arrival, most of the fire was knocked down,” Guastaferri said.
Pete Luschenat who lives across the street with his mother said she informed him that part of the home was on fire before he came outside.
“They came pretty quick and got it as best they could,” Luschenat said. “It takes a little while being a volunteer fire department to get here.”
The fire was fairly contained to the exterior of the house. It was not known how much of the fire reached inside the house. The home is uninhabitable for the time being, Guastaferri said
Residents were seen retrieving numerous belongs. They declined to comment.
American Red Cross worker Bill Eaton gave the displaced residents four comfort kit bags which included shampoo, body soap, toothpaste, face cloth and a toothbrush.
Eaton gave the family recovery envelopes with information and who to contact.
“It kind of gives you the information of how to recover from a fire. Make sure you get in touch with your insurance company. There’s step-by-step of trying to give you advice of what to do going forward,” Eaton said. “A lot of people don’t know what to do. There’s a lot of good information here regarding that.”
Eaton said he wasn’t sure if American Red Cross would be providing temporary housing as he awaited for his supervisor to put in the information.
“Once he gets here, we’ll input the information that I took from them and then it’ll tell us if they’re eligible or not,” Eaton said.
Naugatuck and Cheshire fire departments responded with mutual aid as well. They stayed on scene and helped with overhauling and extinguishing any hot spots, Guastaferri said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s office.
