Westport Fighters Extinguish House Fire in Extreme Conditions

Westport Firefighters responded to the home at 21 Fairfield Ave. at about 10 p.m. Tuesday after the residents reported smelling smoke in the the basement, according to Assistant Westport Fire Chief Larry Conklin.

Upon arrival smoke was seen coming from an exterior wall at the front of the house. Fire fighters discovered a fire in the crawl space directly below the boiler, Conklin said.

The fire was quickly extinguished and structural damage was kept to a minimum. Damage to the first floor boiler room was also minimal, he said.

Westport Fire Fighters had to operate in wind chill temperatures close to zero degrees fairenheit, Conklin said.

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“The extreme cold weather could have hampered fire fighting operations if the fire was not quickly extinguished,” Conklin said. 

The Westport Fire Department responded with one Command Car, three engines and one truck company. Fairfield Fire Department sent one engine company to cover Westport for any further incidents.

There were no injuries to Firefighters or civilians. The occupants of the house had to relocate for the remainder of the night, Conklin said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office and the Westport Building Department.