Balcony Fire Strikes East Side Apartment Building

(Stamford, Connecticut 2/4/19) A small fire broke out on the third floor of an East Side apartment building. At 6:08 pm a call was received from a fifth floor tenant at 850 East Main Street reporting an odor of smoke in their apartment. City firefighters responded to the scene and, after a search, found a fire on the balcony of third floor apartment below the caller's unit. The building was evacuated and hoselines were stretched from the standpipe to the fire apartment and the system was supported by an engine pumping into the system. Firefighters forced entry into the unoccupied third floor apartment and quickly extinguished the fire before it could spread throughout the building. The area was checked for extension and none was found. The quick response of firefighters limited the damage to the third floor balcony decking only as the fire never penetrated the building. The fire was declared under control at 6:33 pm. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Fire Marshal's Office. Stamford Police provided traffic control and Stamford EMS paramedics stoodby. There were no reported injuries. Four engines, one truck, the heavy rescue, and the duty deputy chief responded with a total of 28 firefighters. The last fire company left the scene at 7:15 pm.