It was just after noon when all five volunteer fire companies were toned and dispatched to 1 Pebble Road for reports of a structure fire on Wednesday, August 26. Dave Janofsky, fire chief of Hawleyville Volunteer Fire Company #1, was first on scene. He arrived in his personal vehicle and confirmed a working fire.

“There was smoke showing and the garage definitely was on fire, but it was not fully involved at that point,” Janofsky explained. “There was evidence that we had a garage fire and high heat in the garage, and it was a moderate smoke condition.”

Janofsky assumed the officer in command (OIC) role as he was the highest-ranking officer on scene at the time. A Hook & Ladder firefighter arrived with Janofsky and jumped into action controlling the doors. At this point, Janofsky already had a game plan before Botsford’s engine and tanker arrived.

Botsford Fire Rescue Chief Kyle Placko was there and helped stretch the first hose line. Placko also cut the power to the house’s solar panels to ensure it would not turn into an electrical fire. Placko said Janofsky “had his groove going,” so while it was in his district, he did not take over the OIC role.

Placko added, “I figured it was better off just [to] let him assume that role instead of having him get me up to speed and then me take over, so I just kind of said, ‘Okay, what do you need from me?’”

As the other fire companies arrived on scene, the firefighters worked together to start knocking down the fire. Janofsky and Placko both agreed that the time spent actively fighting the fire was not very long. Fire Marshal Steve Murphy also confirmed this. Janofsky said they did not even use all 1,000 gallons that Botsford’s tanker holds.

Once the fire was knocked down, the volunteers began checking for extension. Luckily, the fire was contained to the garage, though some smoke traveled into the house and attic space above the garage. Placko said the volunteers were also tasked with looking for the cat that lived in the house with the homeowner — which was found safe in the basement.

JP Maguire and the American Red Cross were called to assist the family living at 1 Pebble Road.

Murphy began assessing the fire in the garage as well. He said he found an area that he “believe[s] to be where the fire started.”

“As of right now, until I hear differently, it’s undetermined,” Murphy said of the cause. “There was nothing in that area that reasonably could have started the fire.” Murphy was able to “do what [he] needed to do all in one day,” which he noted does not always happen.

Murphy thought the volunteers did “pretty well” fighting the fire and added that sometimes the “stars are in alignment” in terms of who is able to come and respond. During the week, it can be hard to have enough people respond to calls due to work schedules and people being away from home. Luckily, there were enough volunteers handy to create a coordinated, organized effort to save a home and a family’s livelihood.

“Everyone did work well together,” Janofsky said. “That was the best-case scenario. What we arrived with is where we stopped [the fire]. It never got any worse from the second we showed up on scene … That’s not my district … Their chiefs … could have taken over, but it was teamwork. It was just one of those things where they just respected me enough that I was doing the right thing and they followed suit with what we had going on.”

Placko said that once the fire was under control, Janofsky handed the scene over to him. This was one of Placko’s first calls back, as he was out due to an injury for almost an entire year. Placko was honest, admitting he was “definitely nervous” for his first call back after so long. He tried to remember everything he had to do on his way there, which is part of the reason he let Janofsky take control of the scene.

“Everybody that was there did a good job, especially for a daytime call,” Placko said.

Fighting fires in Newtown is not always simple. As mentioned, all five fire companies in Newtown are volunteer based. It takes a lot to be able to get out to the scenes, and sometimes firefighters arrive in their personal vehicles without gear. Despite the lack of equipment, that first set of eyes on the scene can dramatically change the outcome of the situation.

All five companies are always looking for volunteers. For those who are interested in learning more, visit the websites of the fire companies and reach out with any questions.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.