52°
Stamford firefighters were initially dispatched to the Anchor Point Apartment Complex at 12:50 p.m. Thursday for a dryer vent on fire. The first fire company arrived in less than four minutes and found a fire quickly extending up the outside of Building 2 in the complex at 150 Southfield Ave., fire officials said in a statement.
Fire apparatus and equipment were not able to access the location inside the inner-courtyard of the complex, firefighters said. As a result, all hoses, ladders, and equipment had to be carried a lengthy distance, fire officials said.
Due to the efforts of over 40 Stamford firefighters at the scene, the fire was brought under control in less than 20 minutes. Damage was confined to the exterior walls and balconies on the second, third, and fourth floors of the building.
The immediate efforts of Stamford firefighters prevented the fire from extending into and overtaking a large attic area.
The origin and cause of the fire is under investigation by the Stamford Fire Marshal's Office.
"The nation has experienced several recent catastrophic loss fires in buildings of similar type and construction," the fire department's statement said. "With the increase in buildings of this size and using mostly wood-frame construction, a small fire involving this type of structure can escalate to near or complete involvement in just minutes. The location and speed of this fire could have easily led to another large-scale fire loss of this type of building if it were not for the immediate response and combined efforts of responding Stamford fire personnel."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Stamford and receive free news updates.
