New Haven Independent

Hero Saves Tenants From Burning Building

by Leonard J. Honeyman | September 4, 2009 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Boarders escaped from a raging fire at their three-story Chapel Street rooming house Thursday night thanks to fellow tenant Victor Paret, who ran through the building banging on doors.

Paret, 35, said he was returning around 8 p.m. from a friend’s house to his second-floor apartment at 1255 Chapel St. He didn’t get that far.

“There was smoke everywhere,” Paret said Thursday night as he waited across Chapel Street to see where he and his girlfriend, Julia Sanchez (in photo with him) would spend the night. Sanchez, who has lived in the former Schatz Furrier building for more than five years, looked on proudly but with eyes reddened with worry as Paret first told his story to a fire investigator and then to a reporter.

“I knocked on doors and called 911,” he said. He smiled shyly as others gathered on the sidewalk called him a hero.

One of those others was Michael McCall, right in photo, a tall, slim man with a gravelly voice and expressive face.

“The guy who lives upstairs woke me up,” he said as he and fellow tenant Steven O’Donnell sipped coffee prepared by neighbor Patricia Kane on her Dwight Street porch. They were waiting for fire investigator Michael Odenwaelder to interview them. McCall lived on the first floor and O’Donnell’s apartment was on the third of the building that held seven apartments.

“If it weren’t for Vic, I’d be dead,” McCall said. “He made sure everybody got out.”

As it was, he and his friend escaped with just the clothes on their backs, which in McCall’s case was a T-shirt and a pair of shorts.

“I lost everything, all my money, and my cell phone,” he said. “I have a wife in Virginia and I can’t remember her number. It’s in the cell phone,” he said.

David Ross, a large man who used a cane, said he was working on a computer in his first-floor apartment when Paret beat on his door. “I went back to get the computer,” he said as he pointed to a large gym bag he was carrying. “As soon as they got me out, the lights went out,” he said.

He was looking for his year-old cat, Taco. “I can’t find him. I guess he’s OK,” he said.

The fire, which officials said was reported at 8:11 p.m., sent flames through the roof of the building that at one time had been the home of Schatz Furriers and the residence of the late Evelyn Schatz and her husband, Morris. She was a civic leader and a founder of the Chapel West Special Services District — and a determined woman you didn’t forget once you met her. (Not for nothing is that block of Chapel Street named “Evelyn Schatz Way.”)

Odenwaelder, the fire investigator, said no cause for the fire had been determined. “We’re still investigating,” he said.

Fire officials said three firefighters had been taken to hospitals for treatment of smoke inhalation. No other injuries to fire or police personnel were reported.

Thick, heavy grey smoke made breathing difficult and walking an adventure on the streets adjoining the burning building because in places, it was so thick you couldn’t see your feet. It was the kind of smoke that sticks to everything. Some police officers wore face masks, and the thick fog of smoke made the firefighters’ task more dangerous.

Firefighters were treated at the scene for exhaustion and smoke that didn’t require a trip to the hospital. Officials said most returned to duty.

Traffic was blocked off for blocks around the scene between Howe and Dwight streets, diagonally across the street from the YMCA. The residence buildings on either side were emptied as a precaution, said police Lt. Ray Hassett. Dozens of people watched from behind police tape or closer before being shooed out by police.

The fire died hard. More than an hour after the alarm was called in, flames were seen leaping from the roof. Firefighters said this fire was stubborn as any in recent memory.

“There’s got to be something feeding this fire. We got to it on all three sides, and it just won’t go out,” said one firefighter.

Fire equipment was parked on Chapel and Dwight streets, in the parking lot at Chapel and Howe and in driveways behind the burning building. By 10:30, officials began to say that it was being knocked down.

By that time, the victims were still waiting to hear what would happen to them. Police and fire officials said they were confident the Red Cross would be there to help.

The victims on Kane’s Dwight Street porch were still waiting.

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Comments

Posted by: anon | September 4, 2009 9:35 AM

Glad that everyone living there and the firefighters are unharmed. A long night!

I'll never forget Ms. Schatz, who the NY Times called "a force to be reckoned with in the heart of New Haven."

Here's a great piece about local history, which explains the reasoning behind the name of the street: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/31/nyregion/staying-put-and-caring-for-the-neighborhood.html

Posted by: patricia Kane | September 4, 2009 10:07 AM

The police and fire fighters did a first rate professional job and prevented an expansion of the disaster that destroyed the building on Chapel Street.

Thanks to Victor Paret, the tenants in 7 apartments all got out alive.

What didn't work last night was the presence of any person or agency to attend to the people who became instantly homeless and who lost all their possessions, other than the clothes on their backs.

For 3 hours the tenants were left to stand on the street or find their own refuge. At least one woman was holding a baby. There was an emergency truck to provide water to the fire fighters, but nothing to the victims of the fire.

A police officer said that the fire department calls the Red Cross in these situations, but no one answered the phone when I called to see when someone would appear.

I hope the officials in charge of planning for these emergencies will do a better job in the future of attending to the victims and their pets. They suffered a trauma that's hard to appreciate unless you've been through it yourself. 3 hours is too long to wait for assistance.

Posted by: Corinne Blackmer | September 4, 2009 10:46 AM

Thank you, Mr. Paret, for your bravery and decency. You have saved lives. The house directly in the back (163-165 Dwight) belongs to me and my spouse. The speed with which the fire spread was terrifying and, for some time, our entire house was engulfed in thick, black, acrid smoke. To watch our New Haven firefighters handle this situation was truly amazing. They were brave, competent, determined, and dedicated. My entire family sends our blessings to the entire New Haven fire companies who responded to the blaze, as well as to our police department. My check to the firefighters benevolent society of New Haven is in the mail, and I can assure you it will be a steady check. How can we thank you enough? As for the people who were evacuated from that building (and by the way, we weren't let back in until early in the morning), the Red Cross didn't arrive because the blaze was so fierce and the smoke so acrid and thick, it would be my probable guess that in order to understand the stubborness of the blaze, fire investigators needed residents on hand. Life cannot always be convenient, although I am sorry for the pregnant woman.

Posted by: peoples laundromat | September 4, 2009 10:41 PM

please pass this message to all of the tennants of that property,
call us at 996-1883 we will pick-up all your clothes wash,dry,for free.

Posted by: ltmike | September 8, 2009 9:12 AM

My hats go off to all those that battled beside me that night. That was a very stubborn fire. At some point you must set up defensive and keep the fire from spreading to adjacent structures, which was done. Just because it was a mainly defensive operation after an initial attack and a later attack some hours into, does not discount the hours (whole night for some) of hard tough work. The smoke was intense for well over an hour and everyone was soaked from master streams which wears on you. Thanks to Mr Paret, you saved lives last night by making sure people got out, that fire moved fast and easily could have taken lives. Corrine, you thanked us and that is reward enough, we get paid and that is our jobs, we took an oath to perform these duties no matter the day or night. Knowing we are appreciated is reward enough and thank you for extending those simple words.

Posted by: Rayleen | September 12, 2009 8:58 AM

The guy who alerted everyone from the burning building, was my uncle.
I feel very bad that everyone lost there homes and important items, such as cell phones, clothing, food, money, etc.
I hope they all can recover from the terrifying misfortune that caused them to loose such important things.
Even though it will take a very long time to recover from it. :S

Hero Saves Tenants From Burning Building

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