One of the two houses damaged in the East Haven airplane crash earlier this month will be demolished tomorrow morning.
On the morning of August 9, a plane fell from the sky, striking 64 and 68 Charter Oak Avenue, killing four people.
Sisters Sade Brantley, 13, and Madisyn Mitchell, 1, were both killed when the plane struck their home.
William Henningsgard, of Medina, Washington, was operating the plane and his son, Maxwell, was a passenger, according to officials. Both were also killed.
The house at 64 Charter Oak Avenue was directly hit by the plane, according to East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo and he said the town is working with the insurance company to facilitate the demolition of that property “in the coming days.”
Early tomorrow, Cherry Hill Construction Companywill demolish 68 Charter Oak Avenue.
Maturo said the company has the demolition permits. Environmental testing was completed on the property late last week and the State Health Department, along with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and local utilities gave the necessary clearances.
Officials have not said when 64 Charter Oak will be demolished.
“Environmental concerns from the jet fuel deposited on 64 Charter Oak Avenue have made the process of demolishing that property a bit more complex than the one being taken down tomorrow. Nevertheless, the Town has indicated to the insurance company handling the matter that if the home is not taken down expeditiously, the Town will exercise its authority to have the home demolished,” Maturo said in a statement.
Maturo is asking people to be sensitive at this stage in the process.
“Precious lives were lost on August 9th and I’d ask everyone, including the media, to continue to be sensitive to that. As painful as it is for the homeowners to watch their homes come down, the raising of these homes is a difficult but important step in the healing process for these families and for the neighborhood,” Maturo said.
Photo Credit: AP