One person died in a fire on Whitney Street in Hartford on Monday. It is the second fatal fire in Hartford in the past few days.
A man has died after a fire on Whitney Street in Hartford on Monday, according to fire officials.
Firefighters responded to the three-story house and found fire on the top floor.
The blaze was contained and three people are displaced, fire officials said. The American Red Cross is assisting.
The victim was identified as 66-year-old Charles Rourke.
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No information was immediately available on how the fire started.
This was the second fatal fire in Hartford in just a couple of days.
A man who went into cardiac arrest and was taken to the hospital after a fire on Fenwick Street in Hartford on Saturday died over the weekend, according to officials. Officials identified him as 66-year-old Carlos Maldonado.
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People who live in the area are saddened by the death of one of their neighbors.
"I think it's really tragic. I don't know the person that lived there, but it's really unfortunate," Debra Riggs, of Hartford said. "Just reminds us all to keep our fire alarms and things working, our fire safety."
"This is home to us, and for her home to be destroyed the way it is, everybody is just in an uproot and it's still shocking," Enjoli Sessions, of Hartford, said.
Amid the rash of fires, experts say there are ways you can be proactive about fire safety - like changing out your smoke alarm batteries with the time changes.
"You should be checking it in the spring and fall when you change your clocks back. Another thing I would say is you have to have the appropriate amount of smoke and CO detectors. A lot of people have smoke, not a lot of people have CO, and CO is deadly," Assistant Fire Chief Dan Coughlin said.
If you live on a higher floor, make a plan for escape.
“Most important thing you can tell anybody in upper floors or in a home is have a plan. Have an escape plan. Most importantly, have a rally point so you know where each other are," Coughlin said.
The assistant fire chief also said it's important to get your appliances serviced and cleaned - like your furnace and hot water heater - cause they can cause fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
