Date: Fri 08-Aug-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

fire-Irvin-Lane-Kahn

Full Text:

Accidental Fire Wrecks Vintage Home

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Firefighters responded to a 1:17 pm call from 3 Irvin Lane Tuesday and found a

blazing 19th-century house that had been accidentally set on fire.

Workmen removing old paint from the building with heat guns caused the fire,

according to Fire Marshal George Lockwood.

The fire caused approximately $310,000 in property damage and related costs,

Mr Lockwood said. The attic and second story received extensive damage.

Irvin Lane is a narrow dirt road that links Sawmill Road to the intersection

of Sawmill Ridge Road and Taunton Lake Road, near Taunton Lake.

One firefighter received a burned wrist but did not require medical transport,

said Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Chief Bill Halstead. Chief

Halstead served as the incident commander.

The house is a second home owned by Steve and Betty Kahn of The Bronx, New

York City, the fire marshal said. The couple arrived at the fire scene later

Tuesday. They plan to rebuild damaged portions of the house, Mr Lockwood said.

No one was home when the fire started, according to the fire marshal.

A three-man painting crew was using heat guns to strip off paint near the

building's facade when a heat build-up caused combustion, he said. Heat guns

are similar to portable hair dryers but produce an intense stream of hot air.

The fire marshal theorized the point of ignition may have been some cobwebs or

a wasp nest. The fire started behind a clapboard and then spread, he said.

As firefighters arrived, smoke was billowing from the house's upper reaches.

Flames then jumped out in spits from the gables, later leaping straight up in

columns. A plume of dense, black smoke was followed by clouds of diffuse,

chalky white smoke after firemen got water on the blaze.

Firefighters set up a portable water tank uphill of the house at the

intersection of Sawmill Ridge Road and Taunton Lake Road. Firemen ferried

thousands of gallons of water from Taunton Lake to the holding tank, from

which it flowed downhill in supply lines to the fire scene.

Although there was a pond on the property, firemen weren't able to use water

from it because there wasn't fire-truck access to it, Chief Halstead said.

To ventilate the burning structure, firefighters, using ladders, climbed onto

the house's roof with chain saws as white smoke curled from the house, which

has dual stone chimneys and double dormers.

But as the fire continued burning, firemen got off the roof to keep from

falling through.

Northeast Utilities went to the scene about one hour after the blaze was

reported to cut off electrical power.

Chief Halstead said the old house had balloon-style construction, which allows

a fire to spread easily. Once the fire got behind the house's clapboards, it

spread rapidly, he said.

The fire spread from the building's second story into its attic, he said. "We

had to open ceilings to get water into the attic," he said.

Of the conditions at the blaze, Chief Halstead said, "The guys were taking a

real beating inside." Firefighters were only allowed to consume the air from

two back-mounted air packs before they were taken off the fire and given a

rest, he said. "It was a hot day. ... It really took a toll on those guys," he

said. About 30 firefighters went to the scene.

"It was a tough fire, similar to the one we had on Church Hill Road back in

November," Chief Halstead said.

Last November, fire extensively damaged a circa 1760 house at 95 Church Hill

Road. In that blaze, weather conditions also played a role as firemen

struggled with accumulating ice.

Putting out fires in old buildings is difficult Chief Halstead said, noting

their balloon-style construction and the dryness of the aged wood.

Of Tuesday's blaze, the chief said, "It was a tough deal. Everybody worked

very hard. ... Everybody did an excellent job."

Workman Werlei Moraes said he and two co-workers were removing paint from the

house with heat guns. After the fire was discovered, firefighters were called

to the scene, he said. The painters are employees of Magic Brush Painters of

New Milford, Mr Lockwood said. Because the fire was accidental, no criminal

charges will be pressed, he said.

A representative of the painting firm's insurance company went to the fire

scene Tuesday.

Fire companies responding were Hawleyville, Hook and Ladder, Sandy Hook,

Dodgingtown, Botsford, Brookfield, Candlewood, Stony Hill, Bethel and

Southbury. The Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the regional paramedic

went to the scene, as did police. The Sandy Hook Ladies Auxiliary provided aid

at the fire.

The last firefighters left the scene at 7:12 pm.