Published May 23. 2021 11:05PM
BRIDGEPORT (AP) A New Haven firefighter severely injured in a blaze that killed one of his fellow firefighters has been released from the hospital.
Samod Rankins spent nearly two weeks in the burn unit at Bridgeport Hospital. He was greeted by dozens of family, co-workers and friends Sunday as he walked out.
“It’s been a long eleven, twelve days, his older sister, Lanesha Taylor, told WFSB TV. “We are just glad he has been able to walk out of here.”
Rankins, who is nicknamed “Nuke,” was injured fighting a house fire on May 12 that took the life of fellow firefighter Ricardo Torres Jr. Thousands attended Torres s funeral last week.
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Thousands pay tribute to fallen New Haven firefighter
Pallbearers carry the casket of New Haven firefighter Ricardo Torres, Jr. into St. Mary s Church in New Haven, Conn., Thursday, May 20, 2021. Torres, who died battling a house blaze in New Haven, is being remembered and honored during funeral and burial services. (Arnold Gold/Hearst Connecticut Media/New Haven Register via AP)
New Havenâs Art Scene: Always Excellent, and Now Reopening
This city of 130,000 has always punched above its cultural weight. Now as its museums come back to life, visitors can see works by van Gogh, Rothko and Hirst anew.
The Yale University Art Gallery, which reopened on May 14, includes works by Winslow Homer and Jean-Michel Basquiat.Credit.Jessica Smolinski
By Brett Sokol
NEW HAVEN, Conn. â Call her mood one of anxious joy.
As the Yale Center for British Art prepares to reopen June 4, its director, Courtney J. Martin, said she is thrilled to finally flip the lights back on. Recalling that somber moment in March 2020 when the center joined art institutions across the country in abruptly closing, she said, âWe left to an unknown â we didnât know what we were going home to, we didnât know when we would return.â
Published May 13. 2021 11:34PM
NEW HAVEN (AP) Connecticut officials are trying to determine whether hoarding played any role in a house fire that killed a New Haven firefighter and severely injured one of his colleagues, investigators said Thursday.
Firefighter Ricardo Torres Jr. died and Lt. Samod Rankins suffered serious burns after becoming trapped in the burning home on Valley Street early Wednesday morning. Rankins condition was improving, officials said.
Sgt. Paul Makuc, a fire investigator with state police, said during a news conference Thursday that officials were not sure yet whether there were hording conditions or “a lot of accumulation of combustible materials” in the home.