Victims of Shelton blaze get some good news

Low-interest SBA disaster loans available

SHELTON - A press conference Saturday at Echo Hose Hook & Ladder Company 1 firehouse brought a glimmer of hope to business owners and tenants affected by the massive Jan. 6 blaze downtown.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy Saturday announced approval of Small Business Administration disaster loans for businesses and residents affected by a Jan. 6 fire on Howe Avenue. He made the announcement at Echo Hose Hook & Ladder Company 1 firehouse in Shelton. With him are, from left, U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3, Lt. Gov. Nancy S. Wyman, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, and Bernard M. Sweeney, SBA Connecticut district director.  

 

Mayor Mark A. Lauretti  said opportunity will come out of the tragedy. "When one door closes, another one opens," he said. 

 Malloy meets with Echo Hose firefighter and training coordinator Kevin Lantowsky, center,   and firefighter Chris Jones before the press conference. 

U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3, greets Shelton resident Michele Bialek and her daughter, Bridget, 3, before the press conference. 
Bialek and her husband, Fred Bialek, own Liquid Lunch, which was destroyed by the fire. The Bialeks operate two other Liquid Lunch locations, but she said they lost "a third of their heart" in the blaze.