Monday, January 21, 2008
555 Wordin Ave (Charlie-7)
City warehouse nearly lost to blazeAARON LEO aleo@ctpost.com
ConnPost Article: 01/21/2008 11:08:20 PM EST
BRIDGEPORT — Firefighters extinguished an apparent electrical fire at a Wordin Avenue warehouse Monday afternoon before it could spread to several acetylene tanks stored there. If the tanks had exploded, the building, at 555 Wordin Ave., would have been seriously damaged or destroyed, said Assistant Fire Chief Bruce Porzelt. The business was closed at the time, he said. The cause "appeared to be a faulty microwave that shorted out," he said. Several 911 callers reported black smoke from the business, Enviro Express Inc., about 4:30 p.m., Porzelt said. "The smoke was really black. You couldn't see anything," he said. But firefighters had it under control in about 10 minutes, he added. The fire damaged the microwave and other nearby appliances, and lockers with personal belongings were destroyed, according to Porzelt. The 90-foot-long, two-story cement-block building also housed four trucks containing diesel fuel, which were spared, he added. Firefighters braved the elements battling the blaze. "It's so cold, the water freezes instantly," Porzelt said. The last unit left at 5:45 p.m., the assistant chief said. Firefighters had to cut through a rolling metal door to enter the building, which also sustained fire and smoke damage, Porzelt said.
