Crime & Safety
North End Dryer Fire Badly Damages Duplex; No Injuries
Middletown firefighters battled a blaze at a Grand Street apartment Sunday evening.
Firefighters battled a blaze Sunday evening after a malfunctioning clothes dryer ignited some clothing at a duplex in the North End of Middletown.
The fire, which took place about 6:15 p.m., was in the basement of an unoccupied apartment at 168 Grand Street, according to Dave Anderson, Cross Street Fire battalion chief. There were no injuries.
"There was smoke coming out of the basement," Anderson said, when firefighters arrived on scene. "We could see flames in the basement. It did some reasonable smoke damage on the first floor. We had to open up the walls to make sure the damage didn't extend above."
The occupants were unable to stay in the home Sunday evening, Anderson said.
"I can't imagine it would be habitable tonight because we had to do some damage to it and there was smoke damage and everything else." The other side of the duplex, Anderson said, is a vacant apartment.
The city assessor's department lists the owners of the home as Inga Pablo & Lopez Pedro L. Jr., with the same address.
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