08/25/14 New Haven 4th Alarm 882 Whalley Avenue

[signal29]

08/25/14 New Haven, CT-  New Haven Firefighters received a 911 call and an AFA, shortly after six o'clock in the evening, from Delaney's Tap Room, reporting smoke in the basement.  Responding firefighters found a two story frame, residential over commercial with fire showing on the outside of the building extending up the siding.  Live wires were also arcing on the establishment and poles near by.  Firefighters attempted to make an interior attack,  but were thwarted by the catacomb like basement of the nearly 150 year old building, the heavy smoke and electrically charged premises.  Battalion Chief Gould pulled members from the building and transmitted the second alarm.  
Companies prepared for the firefight as heavy smoke pushed from the building.  Due to the construction of the building and numerous additions over the years the fire would burn for over six hours requiring the need for two more alarms.  Thick, acrid, brown smoke poured from establishment, blanketing the area and making the exterior firefight extremely difficult.  
Parts of the 150 year old building eventually collapsed into itself helping firefighter gain the upper hand and douse the fire. Heavy equipment would have to be brought in the next day to assist in extinguishing the pockets of fire.  The establishment was a total loss.
Multiple firefighter were transported with various injuries from the blaze.  The state fire marshal was brought in to help with determining a cause of the blaze.