Fires can progress quickly. Sometimes they can go from a single alarm fire into a two-alarm fire in a matter of minutes, which happened for one Connecticut family's duplex.

Quick Moving Fire

New Haven, Connecticut firefighters, responded to the call of a fire on Monroe street. According to New Haven Assistant Fire Chief Justin McCarthy, firefighters were initially told the fire was at 64 Monroe instead of the correct location of 55 Monroe Street.

When they arrived at the scene five minutes after, they were sent to the home. While the fire began on the first floor of the duplex, it quickly extended to the building's second floor.

Due to the intensity of the blaze, it turned into a 2- alarm fire. McCarthy said it was "due to the volume of the fire and the uncertainty of any occupants in the building."

Clearing the Residence

According to New 8, there were reports of people trapped inside the home. Since there were initial reports of residents stuck inside the building, firefighters needed to verify that everyone was out and safe.

McCarthy verified that none of the residents were injured in the blaze, and they all made it out before the fire escalated.

“As far as we could tell, everybody had made it out on their own, but there was a dog rescued from the building, and when I left the scene, there was still a search on the way for another dog. It was unsure whether the dog got out, or if it was in the building.”

Assistant Fire Chief Justin McCarthy

Firefighter Injuries

Two of the firefighters sustained minor injuries while they were clearing the home. Both of them went to the hospital to be evaluated. McCarthy said one was released quickly.

The families were not injured. However, their home was no longer safe for them to live in, as it had extensive damage to the front. The American Red Cross is going to assist the two adults and four children with housing.

Investigators are looking into what started the fire.

Firefighter Safety

While firefighters take many precautions when battling flames, injuries do still happen. Overall, firefighters sustain more injuries than other first responders, yet they step up every day to keep others safe.