Police and fire officials are investigating an intentionally set fire which was discovered on the night of Monday, April 13, at an unoccupied one-family house under renovation at 52 Taunton Lake Road, overlooking Taunton Lake.

There were no injuries to firefighters in the incident which caused “moderate” damage to the white Cape-style house, which has a finished second-story. The house is owned by Anna Lisek Boland of Hawleyville, according to Fire Marshal Bill Halstead.

Police said that at about 9:50 pm, a neighbor called the town’s emergency dispatch center to report the odor of smoke in the area.  

Newtown Hook & Ladder firefighters responded, and on investigation discovered that the smoke was coming from the house at 52 Taunton Lake Road, police said. The approximately 1,500-square-foot house on a one-acre lot was built in 1963.

Hook & Ladder First Assistant Fire Chief Jason Rivera, who was incident commander, said that after forcibly entering the house through the front door, firefighters found several separate fires burning inside the building, one of which had burned through the floor of the first-story, opening a two-square-foot hole in the basement ceiling.

The fires within the house had been burning for some period of time, he said.

Mr Halstead said that he called in town police and the state fire marshal’s office for aid in investigating the suspicious fire.

“We found several points of origin” of the fire, he said.

The incident resulted in fire, smoke, and water damage to the basement, first story, and second story of the house. The house is considered repairable, Mr Halstead said.

Mr Rivera said firefighters quickly put out the several relatively small fires burning within the house, using about 600 gallons of water in the process.

A total of about 40 firefighters from Hook & Ladder, Hawleyville, Sandy Hook, Botsford, and Southbury responded to the scene, he said.

Although the fire caused only moderate damage, the incident required firefighters to do extensive overhaul work at the scene after the blazes were extinguished, Mr Rivera said.

Police said that they and the town fire marshal are seeking help from the public in their investigation into the suspicious fire.

Anyone with information about the fire is requested to contact the town police Detective Bureau at 203-426-5841, the town fire marshal at 203-270-4370, or the Connecticut Arson Hotline at 1-800-84ARSON (800-842-7766).

The state has a reward program which offers a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest, conviction, or prevention of an arson fire, police said.