Sara Lewis was just finishing work late Saturday afternoon when she received a call from her sister. Lewis’s home was on fire.

According to Lewis, her sister Stephanie Almeida had been at a family party in southern Newtown when she decided to run an errand. As Almeida waited for the traffic light at the intersection of Meadow Brook Road and South Main Street to change, she saw fire trucks in front of Newtown Village Mobile Home Park — where Lewis, her two children, and her parents all live together.

Almeida first called their mother, Carmen Lewis. According to Sara, as her sister and mother were talking on the phone, Carmen told Almeida one of her neighbors was calling. It turns out the neighbor was calling to alert Carmen to the fire at her home.

That was when Stephanie called Sara.

The fire at 301 South Main Street was reported around 5:30 pm Saturday, August 9, and all five of Newtown’s fire companies were immediately dispatched to the scene within Botsford Fire Rescue’s district. Stepney firefighters also responded to the scene.

“My parents were at church, just leaving,” Sara said August 12. “I was at work. My car is out of commission and my mom was going to come pick me up. I was waiting for her when my sister called, so I immediately called an Uber.”

Among those to arrive first was BFR First Assistant Chief Andrew White.

“The fire was well involved when we got there,” White said. Fire was showing from the roof and propane tanks were relieving and burning under the trailer, he said.

In addition to the fire, there were also initial concerns multiple people were inside the structure. First responders had no way of knowing all five Lewises were safe.

“There was a report that there were occupants” as first responders arrived on the scene, White said. “There were cars in the driveway, and the doors were closed, and one neighbor said there could have been up to five people in the trailer,” he said.

Newtown Hook & Ladder Chief Ray Corbo was also among the first to arrive on scene.

White took combative command, meaning although he was senior officer on scene, “you’re going to work,” Corbo explained. “He went inside with the hose line, and one or two other people, to do the primary search.”

Corbo assumed command at that time. Once firefighters determined no one was inside the residence, they evacuated from the trailer and took an exterior attack. White later took command of the scene.

The fire was between the layers of the home’s roof, he said.

“It has a pitch roof, and then the rounded roof of the trailer. It got into that and that took a while to get to,” he said. Firefighters used saws to open the roof, and then “hit it with a hose,” he said.

The heaviest fire was knocked down in approximately 20 minutes. It then took another 90 minutes for extensive overhaul work to be done.

“The challenge with this was because this was in a trailer,” Corbo said. “They’re made of metal, and hold the heat. That unit had the normal tin roof, but over the top was a layer of insulation and then a wooden roof over top of that.

“The fire had gotten into that space. It was very difficult to overhaul and fully extinguish,” he added.

Corbo and White estimate 30 firefighters responded to the scene.

Water was pumped from a hydrant in front of Botsford’s firehouse to the scene, 150 yards north of the fire station. Corbo said the water supply “worked out very well. It was connected fast, and we had a very good supply.”

Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps and a paramedic also responded to the fire. An elderly neighbor of the Lewises fell while exiting her home. Her injury was checked by medical personnel, and she was able to return to her trailer.

NVAC and the medic remained at the fire scene until all firefighters cleared, per structure fire protocol.

Additional firefighter support was offered, with Bethel sending manpower to cover Dodgingtown’s station. Southbury was initially contacted to cover Sandy Hook’s district, but the fire was knocked down quickly enough that Southbury’s response was canceled.

South Main Street was closed between its intersections with Meadowbrook and Botsford Hill roads to the south and Button Shop Road to the north.

Newtown Police Department also responded, as did the restoration company JP Maguire.

“Everyone did what they needed to, and worked well together,” White said.

Newtown Deputy Fire Marshal Steve Murphy told The Newtown Bee the cause of the fire remains undetermined.

“We’re still investigating,” he said August 13.

‘Appreciative Of Everything’

Sara Lewis, 34, has been able to continue working. The owner of Serendipity Nails in Bethel, her schedule has always been flexible, she said Tuesday. Clients this week have been very understanding with any needs to move appointments, she added.

Lewis and her children and parents are currently staying with her Almeida and her family. While there were no injuries to anyone in the family nor any first responders, three gecko lizards died in the fire. Lewis said that has been difficult for her 10-year-old son Tommy.

“He loved them dearly,” Lewis said. “He’s very sad about that.”

Tommy and younger sister Leila, 4, have been able to spend time with family this week, Lewis said.

“I’m really close with my sister, who also has kids, so it’s been nice for them to be around their cousins,” she said.

The Red Cross was contacted on Saturday to assist all five with their immediate needs.

“They were there that day,” Lewis said of the organization. “There were there while the fire trucks were still there.”

A GoFundMe campaign was also launched Saturday evening by Jessica Lenihan, a friend of Lewis. An initial $10,000 goal was given for the fundraiser, which was surpassed by midday Monday. The goal was increased at that time to $16,000.

Lenihan said GoFundMe will automatically raise the goal again “based on the number of donations.” She hopes people will continue to donate as they hear about Lewis and her family.

“We just want to make sure she’s OK,” Lenihan said of the friends and co-workers who have been fundraising for Lewis since news of the fire reached them. “They’ve been very generous.”

Lewis said many people have reached out to see what her family needs.

“We’ve had a lot of clothing donations, so I think we’re OK on clothes,” she said. “We don’t know when we’re going to be able to move into something more permanent. We don’t need anything like kitchen supplies for now. The GoFundMe has been very helpful.”

Lewis has heard from countless people, she said. She is grateful to everyone who has reached out.

“Everyone has been so amazing, and we’re so appreciative of everything,” she said. “People have stopped by where I work, asking what they can do. Thank you to everyone who has donated or reached out.”

She also offered her thanks to those who responded to the fire on Saturday.

“We sincerely thank the police, the firefighters, and all the first responders who were there,” she said. “They were amazing.”

Readers who would like to join the support efforts for Sara Lewis and her family are invited to visit gofundme.com and search for Help Sara’s Family Rebuild After Home Explosion.

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Managing Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.