8:30pm–#Monroe CT– A fire has left an Elm St. home uninhabitable and killed two cats Tuesday evening. The residents were not home when a passing driver spotted heavy smoke coming from 551 Elm St. around 7:10 pm. Once volunteer firefighters arrived on scene shortly thereafter, heavy flames were pouring out of the living room windows of the cape cod-style home. Six engines, two ladder trucks and a rescue truck staffed by approximately 40 volunteer firefighters from the Monroe, Stepney, and Stevenson fire departments extinguished the fire under the direction of Stepney Deputy Fire Chief Scott Rose Sr. It took crews about 45 minutes to fully extinguish the fire. While two cats perished in the blaze, firefighters were able to safely remove a small dog.

There were no injuries to firefighters. The Monroe Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the blaze. Per Fire Marshal Bill Davin, the house sustained very heavy damage and cannot be occupied. The Shelton, Trumbull, and Oxford volunteer fire departments staffed firehouses in Monroe while crews operated at the Elm St. incident until around 9:30 pm.