By Olivia Drake, HVFC Information Officer.
During a heavy windstorm, crews were dispatched to utility pole fires at 4:05 a.m. on Beaver Meadow Road; at 7:20 a.m. on Dublin Hill Road; 7:50 a.m. on Morris Hubbard Road; and 10:26 a.m. on Weise Albert Road. Crews returned to Morris Hubbard Road again at 1:45 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to monitor a sparking power line on the side of the road. Once power was secured by Eversource, a crew from Haddam’s Public Works Department worked to remove a fallen—and burning—tree from the power line. Firefighters used a line from Engine 6-13 to extinguish the smoldering tree and a nearby reel of cable wire that also caught fire during the incident.
At 5:25 a.m. and again at 6:40 a.m., HVFC responded to motor vehicle accidents on Saybrook Road. In both accidents, vehicles struck fallen tree debris on the road. One patient was transferred to Hartford Hospital with non-life-threating injuries.
At 9:15 p.m., Haddam Fire was dispatched to a residence on Hidden Lake Road for a reported CO alarm activation resulting from an improperly placed generator. Upon arrival, crews learned that four residents remained in the home for at least 30 minutes once the alarm sounded. CO, also known as the “silent killer,” is odorless, tasteless, and can quickly displace oxygen in the blood, causing headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, seizures, hallucinations, and even death. Haddam Volunteer Ambulance Service evaluated the residents on scene while firefighters metered the home. After ventilating the home, crews were able to reduce the CO levels from a high to normal level.
The storm additionally caused many road closures and power outages in the area.
