Mother and Daughter Victims of Fatal Fire on Crane Street

A woman and her 19-year-old daughter were killed Monday morning when a fire ripped through their house on Crane Street.

The Fairfield Fire Department said the two women were trapped in the second-floor of their Cape when the fire broke out in the living room on the first floor shortly before 1 a.m. The victims have been identified as Maureen Gerrity, 47, and Katherine O'Neill, who had just turned 19 on Valentine's Day.

• Maureen Gerrity's obituary.
• Katie Rose O'Neill's obituary.

While the fire remains under active investigation, the Fairfield Fire Marshal’s Office believes the cause to be accidental in nature. It was not immediately known if there were working smoke detectors in the two-story house at 135 Crane St. 

UPDATE: Due to the extent of damage, Fairfield firefighters say they are unable to definitively determine if there were working smoke detectors on the first and second floors. [Full story here]

A neighbor who lives across the street called 911 at 12:58 a.m. on March 10 to report that flames were pouring out of the house. The caller did not know if the occupants were still inside.

Firefighters were on scene within five minutes and immediately began a coordinated attack while a Rapid Intervention Team forced their way in to the house to search for the occupants. The two women were located in an upstairs bedroom, and they were immediately transported to Bridgeport Hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries.

• Read the initial, more detailed account of the incident.
  
  
• Look at photos from the scene.
  
  

Patch will continue to provide updates on this developing story as information becomes available.