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Volunteers and displaced residents urge continued rescue, housing help after Waterbury South Main Street fires
Summary
Volunteers and fire survivors told the Board of Aldermen on July 13 that they still need coordinated help after recent South Main Street fires — including reunification with pets, clearer sheltering for families with animals and faster landlord accountability. A rescue group pleaded for access to a trapped cat still inside a boarded building.
Nicole Renza, founder and president of Waterbury Wolfpack, told the Board of Aldermen she and volunteers have been working around the clock to help families and animals displaced by recent South Main Street fires and urged the city not to give up on one cat still believed to be trapped in a boarded building.
"We still have the opportunity to do the same for Shadow’s mom," Renza said, asking the board to coordinate a safe way to recover the animal without endangering people. Renza described finding animals in need of emergency care and arranging foster placements so owners could keep their pets.
Other residents described urgent housing and safety needs. Brenda Liz Ramos, who identified her address as 470 South Main Street, said her family has been living in a hotel after the blaze and pleaded for help with clothing, housing and a landlord she said had not kept the building safe. "We lost everything," she said.
Several speakers pressed the board for transparency on fire investigations and clearer responsibilities for landlords. Mariana Cotiani asked whether fire investigations will be public and whether the city will pursue accountability and additional inspections or buyout programs for repeatedly unsafe buildings.
Council members acknowledged the hardship and thanked first responders and volunteers. The board offered general sympathy and pledged to coordinate with public safety and social services staff; aldermen also urged residents to contact their district offices for case‑specific follow‑up. The board did not announce new emergency funding at the meeting.
The comments came during the public speaking portion of the July 13 meeting; aldermen later moved on to routine committee business and planned presentations on development and service contracts. Residents can follow up with the board clerk for records of how the city is assisting displaced households and for updates on fire investigations.
