‘It was burning!’ Old Civil Air Patrol building at Sikorsky Memorial Airport destroyed in fire
The fire was at an old Civil Air Patrol building, the origins of which go back to World War II.
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Nick “Batso” Maccharoli, of Stratford, couldn’t believe his eyes when he looked out his back window early Friday morning.
“I see the smoke and the flames,” Maccharoli told News 12. “That thing is burning—burning like I don't know what happened! I mean it was burning!”
Maccharoli lives on Stratford Avenue next to Sikorsky Memorial Airport, where over 50 firefighters responded around 6:30 a.m after a historic building went up in flames.
“Initially, we received phone calls from Durham Bus Company, which is next door. That was the first 911 call. Then we started getting multiple 911 calls from the neighbors across the street,” said Stratford Fire Chief Jermaine Atkinson.
The fire was at an old Civil Air Patrol building, the origins of which go back to World War II.
“At one point, many, many years ago, this building was used quite often,” Bridgeport Fire Chief Lance Edwards explained. “Where we stand was an actual runway here many, many years ago.”
Throughout the day, News 12 saw people who were driving by slow down to get a closer look. Some stopped to take a picture.
“The only contents in the building were some file cabinets, some old reports and a little bit of furniture,” Edwards said.
No one was inside the building, which fire officials said has been used as storage by the Civil Air Patrol the past few years.
“They meet here weekly with their youth. They're a division of the Air Force. They meet, and they do training exercises out here, so it's a good group that still meets here on a regular basis,” Atkinson stated.
The volunteer group's main building next door wasn't damaged, in part, because Friday’s windy conditions held off in the morning, so crews were able to prevent any spread.
“We had lower winds, and we were able to put the fire out in a quick and efficient manner,” Atkinson told News 12.
The Stratford and Bridgeport Fire Marshal’s Offices are investigating how and why the fire started.
“The are working closely together. They haven't determined the cause of the fire at this point,” Edwards said.
