Woman dies after jumping from burning apartment building, firefighters say

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - One woman died and three others were hospitalized after a fire at an apartment in Connecticut.

The New Haven Fire Department said firefighters arrived at the complex Monday night and found several people hanging from their windows to avoid the flames.

They said a woman died after jumping from a window. Her identity has not yet been released.

Three other people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

Libby Ringel lives in the building and said she was watching TV when she heard a “weird noise,” which ended up being the fire alarm.

“I opened the door and smoke just rolled into my apartment,” she said.

Ringel said she could see flames from her balcony.

“My next-door neighbors both use walkers and I knew that was going to be hard to get them down the steps,” she said.

Ringel said the community rallied to help each other.

“I saw two women my age carrying an older woman, you know, legs, arms, because she was wheelchair bound,” she said. “People [were] going around people helping, just automatically.”

The fire started in a fifth-floor unit, according to authorities.

New Haven Fire Chief Dan Coughlin said crews made an aggressive attack on the fire and quickly brought it under control.

“Crews went in. They made an aggressive attack on the structure. They were able to bring the fire under control relatively quickly. A lot of trapped smoke, a lot of people to evacuate,” Coughlin said.

The Red Cross is helping families who have not been able to return to their apartments because of smoke and water damage.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.