Sawmill Road —

Prompt Response Limits House Fire Damage

By Andrew Gorosko

Firefighters from four local volunteer fire companies converged late Tuesday afternoon at a handsome antique farmhouse on Sawmill Road, rapidly extinguishing an accidental fire that had begun spreading inside the building.

Hawleyville Deputy Fire Chief Joe Farrell, who served as incident commander, said the fire started after the homeowner used a small propane-powered torch in attempting to thaw some frozen pipes in his basement. The torch’s flame caused the old wood surrounding the pipes to ignite. The fire spread upward within the walls into the first story, the second story, and the attic.

The 17 Sawmill Road home is the residence of Andrew and Cynthia Talbot.

There were no injuries in the blaze, which caused an estimated $75,000 to $100,000 of damage to the insured home, said Fire Marshal Bill Halstead. Two dogs were safely evacuated from the house.

The fire-damaged house is not habitable. Its two residents are staying elsewhere until repairs are made.

After the 4:36 pm fire call, firefighters from Hawleyville, Dodgingtown, Newtown Hook & Ladder, and Sandy Hook responded to the blaze, as did the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Brookfield and Southbury firefighters stood by at the Hawleyville and Sandy Hook fire stations, respectively. Approximately 40 firefighters went to the fire. Firefighters left the scene at 7:30 pm.

“These guys did a great job,” said Deputy Fire Marshal Rich Frampton of firefighters’ rapid response and swift action to put out the fire before it spread further within the old wooden house.  

Mr Farrell said the “balloon-style” construction of such houses does not include modern firestops, which unfortunately allows fires to spread rapidly within the structures.

After the wood within the house caught fire in the basement, it spread quickly upward into the upper levels of the building.

Mr Talbot, who was heating the frozen pipes with the torch in the basement, heard a smoke detector sound on the home’s second story, after which he investigated and learned that the structure was on fire, prompting him to quickly summon help.

Of firefighters’ efforts to extinguish the blaze, Mr Farrell said, “It was a good attack, a good knockdown.” Having the aerial ladder truck on hand helped the firefighting effort, he said.

Newtown Hook & Ladder positioned its 105-foot-long, truck-mounted aerial ladder on Sawmill Road, extending the device to the peak of the yellow-and-white house’s main gable. The ladder provided firefighters with clear access to the burning structure.

Had the fire not been quickly extinguished, the Sawmill Road house fire could have been as serious a blaze as the May 2004 fire that destroyed the Wasserman antique farmhouse at Medridge Farm at 113 Walnut Tree Hill Road in Sandy Hook, said Mr Farrell.

Fortunately, firefighters had easy access to a water source for the Sawmill Road fire in an old mill pond located just across the street, he said. Mr Farrell estimated that about 5,000 gallons of water were used on the blaze. A town sanding truck was later called to the scene to sand the street, which had iced in the subfreezing conditions.

Using a torch flame to thaw frozen pipes inside a house is hazardous, according to Mr Halstead.

A quick response to the house fire resulted in rapid extinguishment and limited the damage to the structure, he said.