New London Fire Department Veteran To Be Promoted To Chief

New London Fire Department Assistant Chief Vernon R. Skau, a 21-year veteran of the department, will be promoted to Chief during a ceremony currently being planned for early June. Skau is currently the City’s Fire Marshal and Deputy Emergency Management Director, a position he has held for over a decade. He has more than three decades of experience in fire prevention, investigation, emergency management, and firefighting. Long-time Fire Chief Thomas Curcio, a 45-year member of the department responsible for leading significant equipment upgrades, improving training, and creating COVID-19 safety protocols for first responders, announced his retirement in April. Chief Curcio’s retirement will take effect on June 7. “It is an honor to be selected as the next Fire Chief for the City of New London and to follow Chief Curcio,” Skau said.
New London Patch

Crews extinguish fire at scrap yard in Manchester

Crews extinguished a fire at a scrap yard in Manchester on Saturday. Firefighters responded to Ostrinsky Scrap on Parker Street around 11:30 a.m. for a report of an outside fire. Once there, crews found a large scrap and debris fire in the lot of the facility. Multiple crews brought the fire under control in about two hours with help from heavy equipment at the scene. According to fire officials, one person suffered from smoke inhalation, but did not want to be transported to the hospital. No other injuries were reported. The state Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to the scene to evaluate the runoff from the firefighting efforts.
WVIT-TV NBC 30 New Britain

Homeowner perishes in Stamford house fire

A man perished in a house fire that took place Friday evening in Stamford. A few minutes before 7:00 p.m., the Stamford Fire Department arrived at a residence located at 48 Powell Pl. for reports of a residential fire. The deceased is identified as 67-year-old Mark Palmer, who was located in the house after fire crews extinguished the flames. The fire marshal’s office with assistance from state and local officials is investigating this fire to determine if foul play was involved.
WTNH-TV ABC 8 New Haven

West Hartford home likely uninhabitable after fire

Multiple rooms of a home in West Hartford are damaged after a fire late Saturday night and the home is now likely uninhabitable. Dispatchers received a report of a fire alarm at a home on Cliffmore Road from a fire alarm monitoring company around 11:45 p.m. Shortly after, someone in the home reported a loud noise that caused them to run out to a neighbor's house. When crews arrived, they found visible smoke and a working fire at the front of the house. Firefighters began extinguishing the fire inside of the home and knocked it down around 15 minutes after arriving. According to fire officials, there was significant smoke damage throughout the home and there was fire damage in multiple rooms. The home is being evaluated by West Hartford building officials, but it is believed that the home is not habitable. No injuries were reported.
WVIT-TV NBC 30 New Britain

War Memorial In Vernon Turns Red For Fallen Firefighters

PHOTOS: The next stop on the Patch Picture Connecticut Tour takes us atop Fox Hill in Vernon and the historic war memorial tower. On Thursday, the tower turned red to honor firefighters who have died in the line of duty. The tower was red from dusk until 10 p.m. Thursday marked the fifth year of the tribute. Local historians tell us that, before European settlers came to the area, the Podunk Nation used Fox Hill as a lookout. During clear weather, one can see Talcott Mountain, as well as Mount Tom and Mount Holyoke. The founders of Rockville cleared the hill of trees and used it as pastureland. After World War I, historians tell us, the Town of Vernon and the City of Rockville desired to erect a memorial to the veterans of the conflict. At about the same time, E. Stevens Henry bequeathed Fox Hill and the surrounding area to the city and it became Henry Park.
Across Connecticut Patch