Date: Fri 05-Jan-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

fire-Rosini-Old-Green-Rd

Full Text:

Family Tries To Pick Up The Pieces After Devastating Fire

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

With its home in ruins, the Rosini family of 27 Old Green Road must now pick

up the pieces.

Last Friday afternoon, Stephen and Piera Rosini and their three children -

Leila, 13, Christopher, 8, and Stephen, 4 - lost everything when their house

was gutted by a ferocious fire that was apparently caused by a Christmas tree

that had dried out over time.

The fire left family members with just the clothes on their backs; all their

possessions were either burned or destroyed by smoke. The Rosinis' cat, Cindy,

was also lost in the fire, as were Christmas presents and other items that

will be hard to replace.

"We're getting over the initial shock," explained Mr Rosini earlier this week.

"I still can't get over the damage. I couldn't believe what I was seeing when

I pulled up and saw the front of the house."

The fire started in the den near the house's garage and spread throughout the

two-story structure, shooting flames up walls and out windows and sending

smoke some 100 feet into the sky.

Volunteer firefighters from the Sandy Hook and Hook & Ladder companies

initially responded to the 1:30 pm incident and tankers from Hawleyville and

Botsford responded to the scene soon after.

Fire Marshal George Lockwood's investigation revealed that the lights on the

holiday tree were left on when the Rosinis left that morning, and they

eventually singed the tree, which was located next to a frequently used

fireplace.

"The fireplace dried it out to a crisp. They usually have an artificial tree.

This was their first year with a real tree, so they didn't know," Mr Lockwood

explained.

The fire marshal, who said the house will have to be torn down, estimated the

damage to be around $200,000.

"It's totaled," he said.

The Rosinis, have been staying with Mr Rosini's sister in New Fairfield and

will likely rent a home on Main Street in Newtown.

Mr Rosini said he and his wife are awaiting word from their insurance adjuster

before deciding whether to rebuild their home on the property. He added,

however, that he would like to keep his family in Newtown.

Carl Wheeler of Seymour was doing construction work on a new house on Yearling

Lane when he smelled the smoke. A glance in the direction of Old Green Road

led to his discovery of the flames billowing out the front and rear of the

house. He immediately dialed 911.

None of the Rosinis were home at the time of the fire. However, firefighters

thought otherwise when they first arrived on the scene.

"We were told by the neighbors that someone may still be inside," said Bill

McAllister of Newtown Hook & Ladder, who was one of the first firefighters to

arrive at the scene after rushing from the center of Sandy Hook.

As soon as they could, firefighters entered the home to conduct a search. No

one was found inside.

Mr Rosini arrived on the scene nearly 90 minutes after firefighters had gotten

the fire under control. The shock was evident in his eyes as he ran up his

long driveway looking up at the house he and his family had called home for

the past six years.

"Oh God. Oh, my God," he said.

The scorched wreath that hung from an overhang above the front porch

symbolized the Rosinis' 1996 Christmas gone bad.

"I don't know how this could have happened," Mr Rosini said as he stood

stunned alongside neighbor Pat Happel.

Mrs Happel, along with the Rosinis' family friend Elaine Brightling, have

stood by the family's side since its ordeal began and have spearheaded a drive

to help ease the long road back.

Mrs Happel said she's been amazed at the response from the community.

"Newtown's rallying for them," she said. "My phone hasn't stopped ringing.

We've gotten so many clothes that we've had to say no thanks."

The town's PTA groups spent this week trying to replace the lost Christmas

toys and the middle school music department helped replace Leila's damaged

clarinet for a performance this weekend in Waterbury.

The Rosinis, who moved to Newtown from Pleasantville, NY in 1989, recently

opened a pizza restaurant in Carmel, NY, and have been putting much of their

effort into getting the business off the ground.

Firefighters said a lack of water hindered their efforts to douse the blaze

early on, but said it may have been burning for more than an hour prior to

their arrival.

"It went up too fast," explained Sandy Hook Fire Chief William Halstead.

"We never had a chance," added Mr Lockwood.

Fire officials boarded up the house Friday night because of the many curiosity

seekers who came to see what happened. Nevertheless, the home was entered

overnight, but, according to fire officials, there wasn't much left inside to

take.