WTNH News Channel 8 / News / 1999

	Woman, Dog Die in Fire (Stratford-WTNH) _ A desperate attempt to save a woman from her burning home failed Saturday, and what makes the incident even more tragic, is that it could have been prevented. News Channel 8's Christina Hager reports. Dave Comerford, Neighbor: "It's a real tragedy. It's going to take a lot to pull through this, but they'll be strong." Dave Comerford heard screams from the house across the street where his brother lives with eight others. It was on fire. Comerford: "I ran up the driveway, I'm banging on his house trying to get a bearing on where he's at. Broke the windows with my hand." His hand cut, he ran behind the house. Seven people had made it out alive. Two were frantically trying to open a basement hatch door. It was locked. Tragically, there was someone inside - 81 year old Dorothy Adzima, who was sleeping. "We were able to get the door open, but as soon as it opened black smoke came flying out and flames were 10 feet high in a split second." It was too late. Adzima had died, overcome by smoke and flames. Her pet Rottweiler also didn't make it. Firefighters say a smoke detector could have saved the woman's life. They did find one in the house, but it melted and the battery was dead. "I think if they'd had batteries, maybe we wouldn't have had this tragedy." Comerford went to the hospital with a burned foot. Another neighbor is in critical condition after inhaling too much smoke. Firefighters, investigators, and state police are now left with the task of figuring out what started this. Another tragic footnote to this story: Hours before the fire, Adzima and her family had attended a wake for another family member who had died of natural causes. They had to go to that funeral this morning, and now they have to plan another one. Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

Woman, Dog Die in Fire
(Stratford-WTNH) _ A desperate attempt to save a woman from her burning home failed Saturday, and what makes the incident even more tragic, is that it could have been prevented.
News Channel 8's Christina Hager reports.

Dave Comerford, Neighbor: "It's a real tragedy. It's going to take a lot to pull through this, but they'll be strong."

Dave Comerford heard screams from the house across the street where his brother lives with eight others. It was on fire.

Comerford: "I ran up the driveway, I'm banging on his house trying to get a bearing on where he's at. Broke the windows with my hand."

His hand cut, he ran behind the house. Seven people had made it out alive. Two were frantically trying to open a basement hatch door. It was locked. Tragically, there was someone inside - 81 year old Dorothy Adzima, who was sleeping.

"We were able to get the door open, but as soon as it opened black smoke came flying out and flames were 10 feet high in a split second."

It was too late. Adzima had died, overcome by smoke and flames. Her pet Rottweiler also didn't make it. Firefighters say a smoke detector could have saved the woman's life. They did find one in the house, but it melted and the battery was dead.

"I think if they'd had batteries, maybe we wouldn't have had this tragedy."

Comerford went to the hospital with a burned foot. Another neighbor is in critical condition after inhaling too much smoke. Firefighters, investigators, and state police are now left with the task of figuring out what started this.

Another tragic footnote to this story: Hours before the fire, Adzima and her family had attended a wake for another family member who had died of natural causes. They had to go to that funeral this morning, and now they have to plan another one.

Today's News Page.

WTNH Home Page.