Letter: Anniversary of Six Alarm Stamford South End Fire

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013 marks the seventh anniversary of the 2006 South End fire, which destroyed eight Stamford business spaces in just a matter of hours at the former Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company property on Canal Street in Stamford. 

According to the post-fire investigation, the six-alarm fire started on a piano bench in Building 15 at 735 Canal Street. Flames quickly spread throughout the building and to tens of thousands of square feet of neighboring lofts, businesses and commercial space.

Firefighters from both the Stamford Fire and Rescue Department and the volunteer companies used approximately 1 million gallons of water to extinguish the fire. Firefighters then had to do lengthy hose stretches in order to pump more water from the Long Island Sound when the hydrants ran dry.

The fire led to the evacuation of 200 residents in surrounding areas and it was later determined that the buildings had dysfunctional and inadequate sprinkler systems. 

Many in the city’s fire service are concerned the Pavia administration has forgotten this and other devastating fires and has not prioritized the acquisition of new fire protection equipment. Over the last many months, the Stamford Fire and Rescue Department has been getting by only as a result of "loaner" fire trucks.

This includes a loaner engine from the Glenbrook Fire Department currently at the Woodside Fire Station, a truck from the Norwalk Fire Department at Stamford Fire Headquarters on Main Street, and a fire engine being improperly redeployed as the department’s heavy rescue vehicle also at the Woodside Fire Station.

The SFRD currently has no spare engines, trucks or reserve heavy rescue apparatus and has not purchased any fire apparatus for the Stamford Fire and Rescue Department the last 4 years. Engine 5, Engine 8, Rescue 1 and Truck 3 are currently non-operational.

"It is critically important that the Stamford Fire and Rescue Department has the proper tools to keep Stamford citizens safe," said Brendan Keatley, President of the Stamford Professional Fire Fighters Association. "Incredibly, much of the equipment given to the fire department is outdated according to the city of Stamford’s own standards. To do our job and protect Stamford’s home and businesses, it is crucial to have the right resources."

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See Mayor Michael Pavia's response here.