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Crime & Safety

Mother, Children Escape Fire on Cambridge Street

No injuries; storm not a major obstacle for firefighters.

A mother and three children escaped without injuries when a fire started Tuesday in a two-family home on Cambridge Street at the height of the snow and ice storm.

responded to a call at 100 Cambridge St. off New Britain Avenue at 1:28 p.m. and controlled the fire in about 30 minutes, Lt. Lawrence Chapman said.

The mother, her two children and a visiting neice were in the first-floor residence with their two dogs when the fire started in a bedroom closet. The upstairs residence was not occupied at the time of the fire. The cause apparently was electrical, Lt. Chapman said.

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“It appears to be accidental,” Lt. Chapman said. “Probably a light fixture in a closet coming in contact with clothes.”

The first-floor family was able to find temporary housing, and the American Red Cross was providing financial assistance for emergency clothing and food needs. The upstairs residence was inspected by the fire marshal and remained habitable, Red Cross spokesman Paul Shipman said.

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“The closet in the bedroom had moderate fire damage, but there is substantial smoke damage throughout the first-floor portion of the house,” Lt. Chapman said.

West Hartford’s five fire companies all responded. The storm was not a major obstacle, Lt. Chapman said.

“We’re running tire chains on all the fire trucks so we got around pretty good,” Lt. Chapman said. “But once we got there, there was a significant slipping hazard. It’s just the sloppy mess that’s all over.”

There were 21 firefighters and emergency personnel at the scene. Hartford firefighters were on backup call for other potential emergencies.

“Because of the last storm and now today, the snow buildup around the fire hydrants and the house does make it difficult,” Lt. Chapman said.

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