One person was killed in a house fire early Friday morning at 6 Pine View Drive, according to North Branford Fire Chief William Seward.
Though the identity of the victim has not yet been released, WFSB-3 is reporting the victim to be a 38-year-old male. According to town property records, Edward J. Fusco Jr. and Giannoula Fusco are the home's owners.
According to Seward, the home was engulfed in flames when firefighters got to the scene. Two of the three occupants had gotten out of the house through a first-floor window, he said, and the lone female occupant was later taken to an area hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation.
Seward said the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but the investigation is continuing.
East Haven Assists
Members of the East Haven Fire Department also assisted in fighting Friday's early morning fatal fire, after North Branford put out a call for mutual aid.
East Haven career firefighters from Truck 3, Squad 5 and Car 4, along with volunteers from Engine 5, responded directly to the scene at 6 Pine View Drive.
In addition, East Haven volunteers from Engine 6 provided North Branford with coverage in case any other calls came in during the blaze.
Check back with Patch for more details as they become available.
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North Branford and East Haven do in fact have automatic mutual aid response to many areas of each community. It is a fact that upon receipt of this call, I as Fire Chief, requested response from EHFD upon my response. Therefore, the operation was a unified approach to a situation that was well advanced upon the arrival of the first due units. As you may be aware, early detection of fires is key to reducing morbidity and mortality that can result from the spread of fire; smoke and carbon monoxide detectors do save lives. As far as personnel are concerned, the NBFD enjoys a very strong Department with excellent Officers and well trained firefighters and EMS members that answer the calls from its citizenry without hesitation. I am proud to be their Chief.