Two residents displaced in fire at Mexican restaurant in Norwalk, officials say

NORWALK — Firefighters battled a blaze located at the historic Liberty Square on Sunday morning, officials say. 

In a post on X, the department said Fort Point Street was closed from Washington Street to Seaview Avenue as firefighters battled the fire. At around noon, the police department said the area reopened but did not provide updates on the fire. 

In a later release, Norwalk Assistant Fire Chief Edward McCabe said fire crews were called about the structure fire at 10:10 a.m., adding the fire was in a mixed-use building with a Mexican restaurant on the first floor and an apartment on the second. 

Multiple calls made to 911 reported smoke coming from the roof of the occupancy, McCabe said. Arriving fire crews confirmed that, he said, as well as found flames coming out of a large kitchen exhaust system.

McCabe said the fire extended to inside the walls of the second floor apartment, adding that it took about 30 fire personnel an hour to put the blaze out. He said two people were displaced by the fire, as both floors of the building sustained moderate fire damage.

No civilians or firefighters were injured in the blaze, McCabe said, and the fire marshal division is investigating the cause. 

The buildings at Liberty Square are recognized as a historic property, according to the city's website. The building, which is occupied by several businesses, was built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.