A college Halloween party may have contributed to a blaze that destroyed the top floor of a Gilbert Street home early Tuesday morning, the fire chief said. One person, a college student, was taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, West Haven Fire Chief Michael Terenzio said. No other injuries were reported, Terenzio said.
The fire broke out on the top floor of a two-and-a-half-story home in the 80 block of Gilbert Street early Tuesday morning. Shortly after 6 a.m., 911 dispatchers received a call reporting a structure fire at the address, according to Terenzio. Fire crews responding to the scene found the entire top story, an apartment occupied by three college students, engulfed in flames beginning to spread to the roof, Terenzio said.