Investigation Ongoing Into Fatal Meriden Fire

The Meriden Fire Marshal's Office is still looking into what caused a fire to break out on the second floor of 55 Corrigan Ave. on Saturday.

The blaze claimed the life of Joel Kleinman, 64, who was trapped in the home .

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is expected to conduct an autopsy on the cause of Kleinman's death, which the fire marshal's office is waiting on for the purpose of the fire investigation, said Meriden Fire Chief James Trainor.

Kleinman and his wife, Jayne Kleinman, were reportedly on the second floor of their small home at the time the fire broke out Saturday just after 5 p.m. Neighbors at the scene were able to rescue Jayne Kleinman, but they were unsuccessful at getting Joel Kleinman out.

Joel Kleinman was the managing editor of QST Magazine, a Newington-based publication that covers ham radio and amateur radio operators. The National Association for Amateur Radio has an obituary of Kleinman posted on its website.

“He was the quiet man behind the scenes, shouldering much of the burden that comes with creating 164 pages of new content every month,” the obituary read. “Joel set a high standard for all who may follow him.”

Jayne Kleinman remains at MidState Medical Center in Meriden, where she has been since Sunday. The hospital does not give out status updates to the media, a spokesman said, however Meriden Fire Marshal Steve Trella told The Record Journal newspaper he was able to speak to Jayne earlier this week.

Officials have not indicated that there was any criminal aspect to the fire. Det. Mark Walerysiak, the Meriden Police Department’s public information officer, said Monday he wasn’t aware of any criminal aspect at this time and the investigation is in the fire department’s hands.