Portland CT Fire Department

**Official Press Release**

Last night at 9:18pm as crews were clearing out from PFD Station 1 following a water rescue that we assisted Middletown Fire with on the CT River, an active fire was noticed from fire headquarters. It appeared to be in the area of Evergreen Avenue. Upon further investigation, Deputy Chief Sweeney was first on scene within two minutes and called a working structure fire. Within minutes Chief Puida arrived and assumed command. Our first alarm assignment was brought in very quickly which includes 2 Engines from Middletown. Portland L1 was on scene two minutes after the call was initiated and Portland E1 was on scene 4 minutes from the time of the call. Crews made good headway on a difficult fire that had extended to the second floor as well as the attic. As a result of this fire one resident was transported to the hospital and one refused treatment. Two firefighters were also transported to the hospital for heat exhaustion and have since been released. Many mutual aid partners helped both on and off scene. Westfield Fire was brought into the scene for assistance. East Hampton Fire was dispatched out to assist on another call during our incident and then brought to the scene. South Fire District Truck 34 was called in to the scene. We also requested Rocky Hill firefighters with an engine to provide coverage for the town. Hunters ambulance as well as Middlesex Paramedics provided scene coverage throughout the incident. This was a very labor intensive fire and the high heat and humidity played a huge roll in hindering our efforts. The fire is under investigation by the Portland Fire Marshals office.

City of Middletown Professional Firefighters Local 1073

Westfield Fire Dept

South Fire District Firefighters IAFF Local 3918

East Hampton, CT Volunteer Fire Dept

Rocky Hill Fire Department CT

Hunter's Ambulance Service, Inc.

Please take the time to read the story below. The France family lives in our town and are in need of help from our community. Please consider helping in any way you can.

Meal Train for The France Family In the early hours of Wednesday, April 22, 2026, Tiffany & Brian experienced a medical emergency no parent should have to endure. Their 4-year-old, Mackinley, was rushed to Connecticut Children's Medical Center with a brain bleed and has been in the PICU. Tiff & Brian have been round the clock at CC...