Garage Fire Remains Under Investigation

By Andrew Gorosko

Fire officials this week were continuing their investigation into an early morning garage fire on March 10, which destroyed an attached two-bay garage and its contents at 39 Riverside Road in Sandy Hook.

Sandy Hook Fire Chief Bill Halstead, who also is the town fire marshal, said Thursday morning he would be returning to the Piccirillo residence that day to continue the probe into the accidental blaze.

Firefighters from all five local volunteer fire companies, plus Southbury, responded to the 4:45 am fire call to extinguish the blaze. There were no injuries. The structure is insured.

William Piccirillo and his wife, Kim, plus their infant Gabrielle, were home when the fire occurred. The family is living at the residence, which received smoke damage in the incident, Chief Halstead said.

 The fire started in the northern garage bay where much equipment was stored, the fire chief said. That power equipment, however, was not plugged into electrical service, he said. Investigators are probing whether the fire may have started in a lighting fixture in the garage, he added.

A damage estimate was not available.

Mr Piccirillo told investigators that he had heard a “popping” sound, looked out the window and saw smoke, after which firefighters were called, according to Chief Halstead. That popping noise may have the tires exploding on an all-terrain vehicle that was parked in the garage or some exploding aerosol cans, the fire chief said.

The garage has vehicle access from Goodyear Road. The house and garage are connected by a breezeway. The garage was located at the rear of the house.

Several dozen firefighters worked to put out the fire, which was under control in about 15 minutes.  Firefighters shuttled water from a fire hydrant located about 2,000 feet away at the Sandy Hook firehouse.

The destroyed garage also contained a motorcycle, tools, and building materials. Damaged also were a pickup truck and a SUV, which were parked outdoors near the garage.

The 2,000-square-foot raised-ranch house was built in 1972.