1991 — Feb 16, Fire (extension cord related), Apartment Building, New Britain, CT– 10

— 10  AP. “Fatal fire pinned on extension cord.” The Sun, Lowell, MA, 2-18-1991, p. 2.

— 10  AP. “Ten dead in Conn. tenement blaze.” The Sun, Lowell, MA, 2-17-1991, p. 2.

— 10  National Fire Protection Association. Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities (webpage).

 

Narrative Information

 

AP, Feb 17: “New Britain, Conn. (AP) – “An early morning fire swept through a three-story tenement building yesterday, killing 10 people, officials said. The victims were believed to be members of two families who lived on the second and third floors of the wood-and-brick building in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood near the city’s downtown. Five bodies were found in a second-floor kitchen area…the other five victims [were found] on the third floor….Eight other people in the building managed to escape.

 

“Firefighters were called to the building in central New Britain at 2:45 a.m. When they arrived one minute later, they saw flames shooting from the windows and roof….they were unable to get into the building because of intense heat and flames…Firefighters worked in near-zero temperatures before bringing the fire under control by 5 a.m….” (AP. “Ten dead in Conn. tenement blaze.” The Sun, Lowell, MA, 2-17-1991, p. 2.)

 

AP, Feb 18: “New Britain, Conn. (AP) – Investigators said yesterday they had traced a ferocious fire that killed 10 people in a crowded tenement[1] to an over-heated extension cord connected to a portable heater. The extension cord ran under a living-room chair that burst into flames when the cord’s insulation melted, Fire Chief Thomas Keough said.

 

“Among the 10 people who perished in Saturday morning’s fire were six children under the age of 15, including an infant; a 17-year-old; and three adults, Keough said….” (Associated Press. “Fatal fire pinned on extension cord.” The Sun, Lowell, MA, 2-18-1991, p. 2.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Fatal fire pinned on extension cord.” The Sun, Lowell, MA, 2-18-1991, p. 2. Accessed 4-28-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/massachusetts/lowell/lowell-sun/1991/02-18/page-3?tag

 

Associated Press. “Ten dead in Conn. tenement blaze.” The Sun, Lowell, MA, 2-17-1991, p. 2. Accessed 4-28-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/massachusetts/lowell/lowell-sun/1991/02-17/page-382?tag

 

National Fire Protection Association. Home Fires With Ten or More Fatalities (webpage) Accessed 3-20-2016 at: http://www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and-statistics/fires-in-the-us/multiple-death-fires/homes-fires-with-ten-or-more-fatalities

 

 

[1] Described as a stone-framed triple-decker.