'Everything we worked for is gone.’ Fire destroys Danbury home, forces family to flee in middle of night
One person went to the hospital and a dog needed emergency veterinarian care after a Danbury home went up in flames early Monday morning.
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Diana Duran isn’t sure what’s next for her family after a raging fire forced them to flee their home in Danbury just before 2 a.m. Monday.
“I wake up. I heard like a popcorn noise—pop, pop, pop, and then I smell like the smoke and I’m like, ‘What is going on?’” Duran recalled.
Duran is thankful she didn't sleep through what became a living nightmare. When she looked out the window, she realized they were in danger.
“I started screaming like my lungs off, like, ‘Fire! Fire! Fire!’ I wake my husband up, and the first thing I thought was my kids,” Duran said.
She and her husband have four children. They all made it out safely, along with Duran’s cousin, who lives with them. She said a friend who was staying there was initially trapped.
“We went to the back door, and my husband kind of smashed the door, and we were able to take him out,” she told News 12.
When Danbury firefighters arrived at the house on Beech Street, it was engulfed.
“It was surprisingly involved when they got there,” said Capt. Mark Miguel. “We had an issue with a gas line that had broken I guess out back. So that was feeding the fire, which intensifies everything.”
Duran said the closest fire hydrant to the home wasn't working. Fire officials told News 12 others in the area were, and the department brought tankers.
“We had a little bit of a water supply issue, but we were able to supplement that rapidly with our tankers on scene,” Miguel stated. “We always get a second water supply to back up what we have in case something fails, or we don't get what we need out of it.”
Duran said her friend who was rescued was briefly hospitalized for cuts but has been released. The family's two dogs also escaped the fire, though one had to go to the emergency veterinarian for smoke inhalation.
Figuring out what's next is daunting.
“It was a normal night. We were sleeping. We just lost everything,” said Duran, getting emotional. “Everything we have worked for, it is gone.”
Insurance has them in a hotel for now, and neighbors are helping. A community fundraising effort is also underway.
Duran said her 4-year-old keeps asking when they can go home. The answer, though unknown, isn’t anytime soon.
“We have to believe that God will have something better for us. I don't know,” Duran said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Danbury Fire Marshal's Office.
