BRADLEY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, East Granby, Conn. -- It was a sub-zero morning, Jan. 3, 2018, when at approximately 5:00 a.m., Air National Guard firefighters were dispatched to 2 Lexington Drive in the town of East Granby for a report of a house filling up with smoke. Air National Guard firefighters Captain Brian Ellis, Lieutenant Louis Manfredi, Christopher Albani and Jacob McIntosh responded to the fire and were the first to arrive amid responses from surrounding agencies, including Suffield Fire Department, East Granby Fire Department and Lost Acres Fire Department.
Albani said that while they were en route to the fire, an East Granby firefighter, who was at the East Granby residence in his personal vehicle, advised them that flames were visible in the rear of the house. When Air National Guard firefighters arrived, they were able to find that the fire had started in the garage and had begun reaching into the attic space.
“We began an aggressive attack on the fire and within approximately 30 minutes, the fire was put out with no injuries reported by the two residents that were in the home or any of the firefighters,” said Albani.
The below-freezing temperatures did make fighting the fire more difficult.
Everything was turning to ice pretty quick but, despite the cold, no one got hurt and the fire was put out quickly resulting in a positive outcome, said Albani.
In addition to responding to fires, the Air National Guard Fire Department is dispatched to alarms, car accidents, carbon monoxide alarms, water leaks, medical calls, and any aircraft or inflight emergencies occurring at Bradley International Airport and Bradley Air National Guard Base.