Passersby are being credited with helping evacuate a house in Westport after it caught on fire on Tuesday morning, leading to a quick response from firefighters.
Firefighters were dispatched to a home on Hillspoint Road shortly after 5:30 a.m. after two passersby spotted fire on the side of the house and alerted the residents inside, according to Assistant Chief Brett Kirby of the Westport Fire Department.
The occupants of the home were already outside once crews arrived about four minutes after receiving the report, Kirby said. Crews stretched a handline to the side of the home and were able to put out the flames quickly, according to Kirby.
Additional crews arrived and set up for a water supply as others searched the home and found that the flames did not extend into the interior of the house, Kirby said.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Westport Fire Marshal’s Office.
Kirby said firefighters were assisted at the scene by Westport EMS and the Westport Police Department. Firefighters from the Norwalk Fire Department were dispatched to the scene as the Rapid Intervention Team, while crews from the Fairfield Fire Department provided station coverage, Kirby said.
Kirby used the incident to remind residents that firefighters recommend changing the batteries in smoke alarms during daylight savings time, which is only a few weeks away.