No Injuries in Nursing Home Fire

Firefighters today said no one was injured in a fire at the Carolton Chronic Convalescent Hospital this afternoon on Mill Plain Road in Fairfield and that damage from the fire was estimated at $100,000.

Assistant Fire Chief Christopher Tracy, a department spokesman, said the fire was confined to the second floor of an older section of the nursing home in the southwest corner. The first floor of that section contains a rehabilitation area and the fire didn't extend down into that area, Tracy said.

Patients in the nursing home were transferred to another part of the nursing home and weren't outside at any time, Tracy said.

Arriving firefighters saw heavy smoke and fire extending from the rear of the two-story  structure and found several 20-pound propane cylinders venting propane gas due to the heat, which increased the intensity of the fire. The fire was under control in about 30 minutes, according to the Fire Department's report.

Assistant Fire Chief Steve Curry, the incident commander, said in the report that Carolton employees did "an excellent job of following their emergency plans" and that police controlled the perimeter around the fire. State Police closed nearby exit and entrance ramps to Interstate 95 due to smoke and how close firefighters were to those ramps, according to the report.

The cause of the fire was under investigation by the Fairfield Fire Marshal's office, Tracy said.

The specific area of origin for the fire wasn't available this afternoon.

Four engine companies, a ladder company and a rescue company responded to the 1:38 p.m. blaze.

"Our firefighters did an excellent job containing what could have been a catastrophic fire," said  Fire Chief Richard Felner.