Tenants from 48 units displaced by fire at New London apartment complex

New London ― Dozens of people were displaced by a two-alarm fire on Wednesday at a sprawling apartment complex at 239 Nautilus Drive.

The fire at The Villages at Shore Landing forced the evacuation of dozens of people, leading the city to open an emergency shelter at the senior center. Based on the amount of damage, fire officials estimate it could be several weeks before some of the residents in a 48-unit section of the complex can return home.

Representatives from the Red Cross and the building owner’s property management company, South Oxford Management, met with displaced residents on Thursday morning to work out a relocation plan.

New London Fire Chief Vernon Skau said the majority of the damage from the 9 p.m. fire was contained to four units in the building, but there is smoke and water damage throughout one section of the complex.

Firefighters arrived at the scene on Wednesday to find three third-story units ablaze with flames shooting through the roof and smoke billowing from the back of the building. The fire had already spread to one unit on the second floor, Skau said.

Power remained shut off in that section of the building, but tenants were able to access their units on Thursday to pick up belongings.

Akeem Morris and Nicole Montero, whose apartment is close to the fire-damaged units, said they went inside Thursday morning to asses the damage. Montero said there is obvious water damage judging by the yellow color to the ceiling. The couple said they were told it would be at least four weeks before they could return and the property owner was offering a unit in another building.

Montero was home alone when the fire started and said even before the fire alarm sounded, someone was banging at her door and yelling. She didn’t know what to make of it at first but then heard the sound of crowds of people running.

“I just joined them,“ Montero said.

Montero was among the residents who evacuated to find smoke billowing from a third-floor apartment at the rear of the building. Flames erupted from the building moments later.

“It was pretty intense how fast it grew, literally within a minute it was burning,” second-floor resident Melquan Allen, 33, said.

Allen had just gotten out of the shower when the building’s fire alarm sounded and he heard the sounds of a crowd of people moving through the building. He planned to spend the night at his parents’ home in Norwich.

Mushfiqur Rhman, 25, was gaming with a pair of headphones on when the alarms sounded.

“I didn’t think too much of it and walked outside,” Rhman said.

Rhman was with two friends outside watching as the fire “got worse and worse.” Rham said he is hoping that his apartment, which is to the front of the building, was undamaged. He was planning a trip to New York to stay at his parents’ home early Thursday.

Firefighters from multiple departments were called in to help battle the blaze, which appears to have originated in a third-floor apartment and spread to adjacent apartments. Skau said firefighters were able to contain the majority of the fire damage to four apartments. The fire burned through the roof of the building and destroyed balconies overlooking a wooded area at the rear of the building. Work crews draped a blue tarp over the damaged section of roof on Thursday.

Firefighters used a ladder truck at one point during the fire to help one resident off a balcony, Skau said. Some tenants were treated with oxygen outside the building, and firefighters called additional ambulances to the scene as a precaution late Wednesday.

Skau said two of the building residents were treated at the scene for minor injuries, one of which appeared to be an existing medical condition. No firefighter injuries were reported. A family of three stayed at the emergency shelter overnight.

By midnight, dozens of residents waited in parking areas near the burned building to find out if their apartment was damaged and whether or not they would be able to get back in to retrieve personal items, such as medicine or car keys. A team of Red Cross volunteers was on hand to speak with displaced residents, gather names and find out who had a place to stay.

Sue Rochester-Bolen, regional director of the Red Cross emergency disaster services, said many of the building tenants are single so the number of people displaced is lower than if there were families. Three people from one family stayed at the emergency shelter after the fire. Rochester-Bolen was back at the scene of the fire on Thursday with a team of volunteers who were gathering information from tenants about any pressing emergency needs or health issues.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Skau said a structural engineer hired by the building owner arrived Thursday to assess the damage to the building and create a plan for repairs. The renovation will need to be permitted through the city’s building department before it can begin.

Skau said the city has worked with South Oxford Management in the past and expressed optimism they would be working in the best interest of the residents. Both the relocation of residents and the building repairs are the responsibility of the building owners, Skau said.

“We’ve had fires at their properties... and they are quick to relocate and take care of their tenants and get problems resolved,” Skau said.

The building’s owner is listed as New York-based Beachwold Residential, doing business locally as Villages At Shore Landing LLC.

Waterford, Groton, Montville, Electric Boat, and the Naval Submarine Base were among the departments called in for mutual aid at Wednesday’s fire.

Day staff photographer Sarah Gordon contributed to this report.