Smoke bomb incident at historic Vernon building ends in felony arrest

VERNON, CT – A resident of an apartment in Vernon's historic Fitch Block is facing felony charges in connection with a smoke bomb incident inside the building, police said.

The incident comes almost four years after an indoor flame incident almost destroyed the building, leaving residents fighting for their lives.

Police announced details of the latest case on Thursday. The Fitch Block is located at 26 Union St. in the Rockville section of Vernon.

According to an arrest report, a fire alarm went off in the building at 11:50 a.m. on Oct. 18. After the initial incident involving unattended candles, the owner installed a state-of-the-art alarm system that went well beyond fire code requirements.

The emergency services discovered that this time a “smoke bomb” had been set off in an apartment.

No injuries were reported, but the building had to be evacuated, police said.

A resident of the apartment, identified as 28-year-old Adam Brochero, was arrested and charged with reckless arson, second-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree breach of peace.

He is scheduled to appear in court on October 29.

The fire related to the unattended candles occurred in December 2020 and left 16 adults and two children homeless. When police and firefighters arrived, they found heavy flames coming from windows on the east side of the building and several people hanging from the windows to escape the flames, Vernon Deputy Fire Chief Robert Babcock said.

Vernon firefighters and Vernon police quickly set up ground ladders to reach residents and get them to safety. A ladder truck was able to reach the building from an adjacent property.

Seven people were injured in the fire and were treated for smoke inhalation at Rockville General Hospital across Union Street. Two of the injured were taken to Bridgeport Hospital for further treatment, officials said.

Post-fire renovations included overhauling the building's security systems.