Quick Action Limits Fire Damage To Bank

By Andrew Gorosko

An accidental fire at Union Savings Bank at 20 Church Hill Road in the Borough caused an estimated $20,000 to $25,000 in damage at the branch office on the night of Thursday, January 11.

Newtown Hook and Ladder and Sandy Hook firefighters were dispatched to the 8:39 pm fire, as was the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps. There were no injuries.

Deputy Fire Marshal Bill Halstead said the fire apparently started after a nighttime cleaning person inadvertently or accidentally left on an electric heating element on a stove in a small kitchen in the bank. The hot element ignited an adjacent plastic dish rack, with the fire then spreading to a set of wall-hung cabinets and then spreading across the kitchen’s ceiling, Mr Halstead said. The fire blackened the small kitchen.

Mr Halstead said Wednesday he plans to do further investigation to learn the exact circumstances of the blaze.

The flames did not spread into the banking area, but smoke did enter that section of the building, he said. The bank is located in a small two-story commercial building at the corner of Church Hill Road and Queen Street.

The dispersion of dry firefighting chemicals, which were used to extinguish the blaze, resulted in cleanup work in the bank and in the commercial space above the bank, he said.

Police reached the bank before firemen and sprayed the dry firefighting chemicals on the blaze to knock it down, Mr Halstead said.

A clean-up crew worked at the bank after the fire to allow it to reopen for business.

Newtown Hook and Ladder Fire Chief Dave Ober said firefighters used very little water in putting out the fire to limit water damage in the building.

After firefighters arrived at the bank, the fire was extinguished in a matter of minutes, he said.

Fortunately, police, who had arrived at the bank before the firefighters, were able to knock down the blaze with fire extinguishers, he said.

Chief Ober estimated that about 40 firefighters went to the bank. Hawleyville firemen went to the Hook and Ladder firehouse on standby duty.