New Haven Independent

Mom Burned; Girl Escapes; Fire Breaks Out

by Paul Bass | November 15, 2009 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

(Updated) The yelling upstairs had already awoken the first-floor tenants. Then came banging at the door and a scream: “He’s burning my baby!”

Thus began a tragic morning in Fair Haven Sunday. It ended with a two-alarm fire, a man’s arrest, his girlfriend struggling for life in a hospital burn unit, a 12-year-old girl escaping death and rescuing her baby sister, and two families needing emergency lodging.

The events began unfolding around 7:30 a.m. in a three-story, two-family home on Market Street near the corner of Monroe.

An argument broke out between a woman living on the second floor and her boyfriend. They had been in an argument the night before, too, said Assistant Chief Pete Reichard. Reichard said the man left the house overnight, then returned around 7:30 a.m., when the fight resumed.

The boyfriend is 50, according to the arrest report on file at the state courthouse on Elm Street. (The report also lists the man, who works in maintenance at a Milford hotel, as single, contrary to other reports.)

In the course of the argument Sunday morning, according to police, the man threw flammable liquid on the girlfriend and lit her on fire. Then, police said, he went into a bedroom where the woman’s 12-year-old daughter was sleeping. The man threw the accelerant on the daughter. The girl woke up, saw the man lighting a lighter, and ran out to safety, according to police.

The girl also grabbed her 3-month-old sister, who was also in the apartment, and carried her outside, according to the woman who owns the house.

Both she and Reichard said the boyfriend did not douse the baby with the accelerant. The boyfriend is the father of the baby, according to Reichard; Reichard said he doesn’t believe the man is the father of the 12-year-old.

The argument between the boyfriend and girlfriend was loud enough Sunday morning to wake up the couple renting the first floor. Then the girlfriend raced downstairs to the first-floor apartment, according to the female tenant (at left in photo).

“She was banging” on the apartment door [and yelling], ‘He’s burning my baby upstairs!’” said the first-floor tenant, who declined to give her name in an interview. She and her husband moved into the apartment four months ago.

The tenant opened the door. “[The girlfriend] was half-clothed and [badly] burned and shocked,” the tenant said. They called the fire department. And they called the house’s landlord, who, hearing the screaming at the other end of the line, raced over.

The house caught on fire. “The whole top was smoking,” said Christine Wynn, who lives across the street.

Thirty-eight firefighters responded to fight the two-alarm blaze, according to Fire Marshal Joe Cappucci (pictured at the top of the story). It took them about an hour to get the fire under control. It did “significant damage” to the second and third floors, Cappucci said.

Meanwhile, Officer Andrew Gambardella found the boyfriend walking by James Street and Grand Avenue. He turned himself in and was charged with first-degree arson, first-degree assault, criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree, criminal mischief, and two counts of risk of injury to a minor. He was held on $1 million bond.

For hours afterward neighbors gathered on the corner to watch the fire department finish up and the cops continue their investigation. the girlfriend was transported to the burn unit at Bridgeport Hospital, where she is being treated for second-degree and third-degree burns, according to police spokesman Officer Joe Avery.

The girlfriend remained in critical condition Monday morning, according to the burn unit.

Police called in the two children’s grandmother, who arrived from the Bella Vista housing complex along with other relatives. Police called in state child welfare, as well.

Neither child was injured in the incident, according to police at the scene. They were kept inside an ambulance, away from the rest of the crowd.

Detectives interviewed the 12-year-old daughter, according to Asst. Chief Reichard. They were preparing to interview the suspect late Sunday afternoon. They couldn’t interview the girlfriend at length; her condition was too severe.

Firefighters remained at the house until almost 8:30 p.m. The landlord, who asked not to be identified, said the first order of business now is to secure the house. She isn’t sure if it will be salvageable. She said the house contains “so many memories”: She lived there for 15 years, raised her kids there; her kids, as adults, moved back in for a while. She has owned the house for 28 years, she said. (No one from her family has been living there recently.)

Fire Marshal Cappucci noted that the building’s smoke alarms functioned properly. He emphasized the importance of checking to make sure smoke alarms are working — so they can help save lives.

Meanwhile, in Queens, N.Y. …

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Posted by: Norton Street | November 15, 2009 5:10 PM

"The events began unfolding shortly before 8 a.m. in a two-story, three-family home on Market Street near the corner of Monroe."

"It did 'significant damage' to the second and third floors, Cappucci said."

Could you clarify? The house is 3 stories, so are there 2 or 3 units in the house?

"The argument was loud enough to wake up the couple renting the first floor."

A moderate density living arrangement has benefits that are absent in sprawling built environments.

"And they called the house�s landlord, Sandra Watts (at right in photo), who, hearing the screaming at the other end of the line, raced over."

Sounds like a landlord who is an active participant in the tenants lives, and has a good understanding of responsibility.

Hopefully the victim recovers the best she can emotionally and physically. Lock the boyfriend up with Bubba as a cell mate for a while. The children deserve better.
Its time for the middle class to begin reinvesting in this countries cities in a meaningful way that restores the social order that has deteriorated since mid 20th century when our parents and grandparents left the cities. Meaningful investments through permanent or longterm urban living would help reduce and possibly eliminate events like this from happening due to the immense power of a dedicated and motivated class of people. No government, no programs and no services can replace the presence of a large middle class living everyday meaningful lives filled with interactions between diverse groups of people.

[Ed.: Oops. Sorry about that mistake! It's three stories, two-famiy.)

Posted by: Pat | November 15, 2009 6:55 PM

Men like this are weak and seek power and control by brutalizing women.
The legal system needs to put him away for the rest of his life. If he gets out, he'll brutalize another female.
Women trapped in dangerous situations with violent men need to know that help is available. They have to learn to protect themselves and their children from these predators.
While our government spends zillions overseas on the theory that it's making us safer, women know a different reality. the enemy is closer to home and maybe inside.

Posted by: Bruce | November 16, 2009 9:21 AM

What a horrific story.

Posted by: Uncle Egg | November 16, 2009 11:15 AM

Before the inevitable race-baiting sets in, I hope someone gives the 12-year-old girl credit for her bravery.

Posted by: Val | November 16, 2009 11:17 AM

First degree assault????? How about attempted murder?????

Posted by: nene | November 16, 2009 2:24 PM

Omgg Thts myy BFF ((The 12- Year old))

Posted by: nfjanette | November 16, 2009 2:30 PM

Its time for the middle class to begin reinvesting in this countries cities in a meaningful way that restores the social order that has deteriorated since mid 20th century when our parents and grandparents left the cities.

The extent of how completely out of touch your comments are with reality is well exhibited here. Hint: this is the reason many people that could flee to the suburbs did so - it wasn't just a love of a big lawn to mow. In the case of my parents, it was the attraction of far better schools in an environment with far less crime. No amount of "urban advocate" proclamations on how this country's social order and living arrangements should be made is going to convince the wealthy, voting suburban middle class to return to high crime, high tax, low service cities. What's the compelling reason? Despite the inferences of your and other radical views in NHI comments, at no time soon will any government in this country be so foolish as to tell its citizens where they can reside. Since there is no "stick" that will be allowed, only the "carrot" remains for any attempt to encourage re-population of urban areas by the middle class.

There was a specific reason that attracted my family (back) to New Haven - religious community - and without that, it's hard to imagine more than a few other significant other attractions that would have prompted us to move here. As we ponder future home ownership, I find myself at a loss as to why I would want to pay far more property taxes for far less services/value in an area far less safe than the 'burbs. No amount of pontification about the theory of housing density changes the facts involved in the equation - only by offering clear value will the city attract the middle class.

Posted by: Norton Street | November 16, 2009 4:27 PM

NFJANETTE,
Urban exodus occurred, then the high crime rates followed, not the other way around. This is clearly observable in statistics. It may be true that people continue to avoid cities due to crime, but originally urban exodus had very little to do with crime because there wasn't very much crime in cities prior to the beginnings of the suburbanization of the country.
To think if the crime problem were somehow solved than suburbanites might move back into cities where they'd be closer to their job is ridiculous. Reducing crime from 1990 levels (highest in the history of the country) to current levels was done be just imprisoning more people, not actually solving the problem. The only way to combat crime is with the middle class. First families move back, then cities recover. It will happen no other way.
Until then we can just sit back and continue to stamp in the history books our title of "The most apathetic people in the history of existence" while our cities continue to burn, our older suburbs continue to bread ignorance and depression, and our country continues to plow over forests and farmland in order to give wealthy people more and more room to get away from fellow human beings. Suburbs are already falling apart, look at West Haven, East Haven and Milford. If Guilford and Branford (and others) continue this untamed growth then they will soon follow, and evenutally we will run out of space to develop, and people will have to stop avoiding solving our problems. Why not save us 50 years of social and cultural degradation and just solve the problems now?

Posted by: Norton Street | November 16, 2009 5:42 PM

This chart shows the rise in crime rates in US cities:
http://www.library.yale.edu/thecitycourse/Data_Tables/Crime/Crime_Violent_Comparison_of_Cities_1940_1990.xls

It is easy to see that around 1960-70-80 the crime sky rockets. Most white, but more importantly middle class urban flight occurred in the 40s, accelerated in the 50s and 60s and had peaked by the late 60s.

http://www.library.yale.edu/thecitycourse/Data_Tables/Crime/Homicides_New_Haven_1935_85.xls

That shows the clear trend just for New Haven.

This website shows how Hamden's 2004 violent crime rate is 3 times what New Haven's was when urban flight began:
http://www.homesurfer.com/crimereports/view/crime_report.cfm?state=CT&area=Hamden

This website shows how Branford's 2003 violent crime rate is nearly identical to what New Haven's was when urban fight began:
http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Branford&state=CT

This website shows how Milford's 2006 crime rate is double what New Haven's was when urban flight began:
http://milfordct.areaconnect.com/crime1.htm

Milford Violent Crimes 80 146.2

So does this mean that people should now flee to further away suburbs? Or should we, as a country, rethink some stuff?

Mom Burned; Girl Escapes; Fire Breaks Out

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