Two homes destroyed in Old Saybrook

OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. (WTNH) -- Two homes in Chalker Beach were destroyed by fire in the wake of Sandy.

"The Fire Dept was unable to extinguish the fire as the homes were in an area flooded by several feet of water," Chief JT Dunn said in a statement.

A firefighting vehicle lost some of its electrical systems trying to get to the fire to check for anyone who didn't evacuate.

Also Monday night, a firefighter waded through floodwaters and rescued a man from his  Riverside Avenue apartment.

After responding to a fire on a utility pole, a person told firefighters about a man seen walking through the water to his apartment. Firefighter Bruce Watford put on a lifejacket, was hooked to a lifeline, and waded through waist deep water to the apartments to find the man.

Watford eventually did find the man, got him in a lifejacket as a precaution, and brought him to safety.