Hoarding Blamed for Connecticut Fire That Injured Family

Bridgeport, Conn., Mayor Bill Finch blamed hoarding for a fire that critically injured a couple and their 2-year-old daughter.

Finch said material was fuel for the apartment fire on Sunday. The Connecticut Post reported that Deputy Fire Chief Robert Petrucelli said firefighters were hampered by piles of clothing stacked nearly to the ceiling and narrow aisles through which firefighters could not fit.

The fire began around 12:30 a.m. in a second-floor, corner apartment.

Firefighters found resident Marisol Estrada and her 2-year-old daughter Allianna, in a bedroom beneath piles of clothing. Firefighters carried them to safety through a window.

Estrada and her husband, building superintendent Jose Roman, were in critical condition at Bridgeport Hospital with burns and smoke inhalation.

Allianna was taken to Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston in critical condition.