Date: Fri 14-Mar-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

fire-asphalt-arson-Dosch-King

Full Text:

Suspicious Fire Guts Asphalt Business

A fire believed to have been caused by arson late Wednesday evening gutted

Dosch-King, Inc, an asphalt contracting business located at 20 Hawleyville

Road (Route 25) behind the Exit 9 commuter parking lot.

About 25 firefighters from Hawleyville, Hook & Ladder, Sandy Hook and

Dodgingtown responded when the fire was first reported at 11:30 pm by an

off-duty New Milford policeman, who spotted it as he was driving past.

Assistant Fire Marshal Joseph Cavanaugh said investigators from the state fire

marshal's office and the Newtown police were summoned to investigate the fire.

The state police brought a dog trained to sniff out fire accelerants, Mr

Cavanaugh said.

The business was housed in a long weather-beaten wooden shed, about 12 by 30

feet, attached to a house trailer that was used as an office and storage area.

The shed was filled with welding equipment, grease guns and other tools for

maintaining the company's trucks as well as tar and tar products, asphalt

drive sealer and other materials, Mr Cavanaugh said.

"The company tars all the roads in Newtown during the summer months," he said.

"They aren't too active in the winter."

The fire marshal said the building was heavily damaged and will have to be

torn down. One side of the trailer also had to be torn off during the effort

to put out the fire.

"We also called the power company to cut off the electricity because the

danger was so great," he said.

Mr Cavanaugh said that because of the buildings' contents, he was waiting to

talk to the owners of the company before making an estimate of the damage.

Firefighters were on the scene until after 2 am Thursday.