03/09/10 New London

Shortly before 10pm on Tuesday night, City of New London firefighters had their hands full responding to 283 Willetts Ave. for a reported structure fire. While en route, Station A advised of occupants trapped on the third floor. First due companies arrived transmitting a working fire and confirmed numerous occupants in the windows on the upper floor. On arrival of the on duty Battalion, a second alarm was transmitted and first due Truck was advised to ladder all sides due to people hanging from the windows.

Waterford Fire, Companies 1, 3, 4 and 5, were requested to the scene with a second due FAST from Mohegan Tribe. Approximately thirty minutes into the operation, Command sounded the evacuation tone ordering all companies out of the building. A Tower-Ladder from Poquonnock Bridge and additional Ambulances from Groton, Montville and East Lyme were requested to assist with operations and coverage of the city.

After knocking down the bulk of the fire with master streams, companies were able to work there way back into the building to extinguish the blaze. After all was done, approximately 8 - 10 occupants were rescued from the building with 4 transports to the area Hospital.

Photos courtesy of Mike Nebelung, Frank Summers, Eric Quinn,

Mariaha Knight and Jason Snow

03/09/2010 LODD Beacon Falls

Beacon Falls

Department treats passing as

line-of-duty death

firefighter dies while responding to call




BEACON FALLS -- A longtime firefighter died in the line of duty early Wednesday while responding to a call.Kevin Swan, 69, a firefighter with Beacon Hose Company No. 1, woke around 5 a.m. to respond to a fire call on Susan Street, said Jeremy Rodorigo, a Beacon Hose spokesman.Swan signed on the radio, but did not show up at the call. He was found around 8 a.m. inside his pickup in his driveway, Rodorigo said.He was taken by ambulance to Griffin Hospital in Derby, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 9 a.m., he said.Fire officials are still trying to detemine exactly what happened, Rodorigo said. The department is treating it as a line of duty death, he said.

Read Thursday's Republican-American for more on this story.