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Hartford community helps displaced residents amid apartment fire damage, thefts

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Hartford community helps displaced residents amid apartment fire damage, thefts


Frustration is building among dozens of families who can’t return home right now following fire damage in their apartment building.

For some, it’s been more than a month. They recently met with the Hartford mayor and they’re hopeful their calls for help are soon answered.

Following fire damage and thefts at the Concord Hills Apartments in Hartford, Martavia Kirkland is thankful for the support of the community.

“I’m happy and I’m appreciative. Very appreciative of it, because I actually need all the help I can get right now. I’m out of work due to the fire, not being able to go and get clothes to go to work,” Kirkland said.

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Kirkland is among about 60 families staying in area hotels and are now receiving help from an organization called Angel of Edgewood.

“These families are really struggling and, you know, we just can’t say it enough. And the time is just like ticking,” Jendayi Scott-Miller, Angel of Edgewood founder and CEO, said.

Hartford Fire says the flames that led to so many being displaced likely started because of a malfunction with an air conditioner back in August.

Then, police say 26 units were ransacked, including Kirkland’s.

“It’s overwhelming, it’s upsetting, frustrating. But, you know, all we could do is have faith and hope,” Kirkland said.

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Angel of Edgewood is offering what it can, dropping off everything from gift cards, to laundry detergent, to toys for the kids.

“It’s really sad. It’s a really sad situation and it needs to be addressed fairly quickly. They need some compensation. There needs to be accountability,” Scott-Miller said.

On Friday, some met with the Hartford mayor who was hopeful many could return home in the coming weeks as repairs are done.

Residents were looking for reimbursement for food and stolen items, as well as improved temporary housing.

“I definitely need it. Like I said, I’m pregnant right now and I’m also diabetic. So I do need to cook certain foods at certain times. And I can’t do that here because they don’t have a big kitchen for me. So I do need something better,” Kirkland said.

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The mayor’s office said there might be an update about improving the temporary housing as soon as Tuesday.

The complex has not returned requests for comment.



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Connecticut

Man arrested after stealing from Connecticut Children’s Hospital donation bin

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Man arrested after stealing from Connecticut Children’s Hospital donation bin


ENFIELD, Conn. (WFSB) – Police arrested a Connecticut man on Sunday morning after he allegedly stole bottles and cans from a Connecticut Children’s Hospital donation bin.

Officers received a call at around 8 a.m. for a report of a larceny from a “Cans For Kids” donation bin at located on Raffia Road, according to the police department.

Police said they used used local surveillance cameras and municipal license plate readers to identify a vehicle and suspect.

Officials identified the individual as Joshua Wilcox of Broad Brook

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With the help of Wethersfield police officers, Wilcox was found and detained. Enfield police arrested Wilcox and charged him with sixth-degree larceny and first-degree criminal trespass.

It was also revealed that this is the second incident involving Wilcox at the same location, police said.

No further details were released.

Eyewitness News will provide more details as soon as they become available.

Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.

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Danbury OKs expanded building plans for west side cancer center

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Danbury OKs expanded building plans for west side cancer center


“(T)he applicant is proposing a minor building addition of 1,300 square feet to the basement level because the specialized proton equipment required a slightly larger support space,” said Allie Smith, an associate planner with the city’s professional planning and zoning department.

Smith is referring to what would be the second proton therapy cancer treatment center between New York City and Boston, after the Connecticut Proton center in Wallingford, which is scheduled to open later this year.

Proton therapy is considered advanced radiation treatment because it uses the positively charged particles to “target cancer with exceptional precision,” reducing damage to nearby healthy tissue.

The expanded building plans for Danbury Proton are the latest development in a prolonged effort to serve western Connecticut and nearby New York residents with the novel cancer treatment.

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The project, which was set to break ground on a 3-acre site overlooking Danbury Municipal Airport this spring, is “very busy marketing and selling the bonds,” a spokesman said.

“We’re ready to break ground as soon as we close on the bonds,” said Drew Crandall on Friday. “We are in conversation with investors every day and we are making good progress.”

In March, Danbury’s City Council agreed to use its bonding power to help Danbury Proton get low-cost financing under a “conduit issuer” agreement. Around the same time, the city’s Planning Commission extended approvals for the project, which were scheduled to expire in July.

All that means that Danbury Proton expects to open its 17,000-square-foot facility at 85 Wooster Heights Road in late 2027 or early 2028.

“The day is coming when we will be treating patients with revolutionary proton therapy cancer treatment,” Crandall said in a newsletter to supporters last week. “Countless patients and their families will benefit from proton therapy.”

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Fire extends from attic of well-known Clinton donut shop

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Fire extends from attic of well-known Clinton donut shop


Several businesses and residents are displaced after a well-known donut shop in Clinton caught fire Saturday morning according to fire department officials.

Clinton Volunteer Fire Department officials say officers received reports of a fire at Beach Donut where they found heavy smoke and a fire extending to the attic.

They say people were evacuated while firefighters work to bring the fire under control.

One person was transported by Clinton EMS for evaluation.

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The displaced residents are being treated by the American Red Cross and the fire is still under investigation by the Clinton Fire Marshal’s Office with assistance from the Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit.

The fire department received mutual aid from several fire stations and EMS from neighboring towns.

According to the Beach Donut Facebook, the business will be temporarily closed until notice.



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