House Damaged By

Air Conditioner Fire

By Andrew Gorosko

About 30 firefighters responded to an accidental fire at an Indian Hill Lane home in Sandy Hook which caused an estimated $20,000 in damage on the afternoon of Sunday, June 24.

Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Chief Bill Halstead said firemen from three fire companies converged on the Cape Cod style house in the rural area near the Monroe border. There were no injuries in the blaze, which was reported to firefighters at 4:32 pm, Chief Halstead said.

Only homeowner Stephen Randlett was home at 17 Indian Hill Lane at the time of the fire, the chief said.

Mr Randlett was watching television when the picture went out, after which he smelled smoke, Chief Halstead said. Mr Randlett located the fire in a second story bedroom. A window-mounted air conditioner had malfunctioned, causing the blaze.

Because his telephone had failed, Mr Randlett told a neighbor there was a fire in his house and the neighbor placed a telephone call alerting firefighters of the blaze, the chief said.

Mr Randlett used a dry-chemical fire extinguisher to battle the blaze and then closed the door to the bedroom, containing the fire to that area, the fire chief said.

On their arrival, firemen climbed an interior staircase with a fire hose and put out the fire in about four minutes, Chief Halstead said.

Fire damage was confined to the second-story bedroom. There was smoke damage, water damage, and damage from the dry firefighting chemicals in other parts of the house.

To aid them in fighting the blaze, Sandy Hook firemen called in Newtown Hook and Ladder and Stevenson firefighters. The Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps went to the scene. Firemen spent about two hours at the house.

The house, which is repairable, appeared to be habitable after the fire, Chief Halstead said.

Sandy Hook firemen went to the Indian Hill Lane house fire directly from a motor vehicle accident several miles away on Berkshire Road, near Toddy Hill Road. The accident had occurred about 10 minutes earlier. In that accident, a pickup truck drove into a motor boat which was being towed on a trailer, causing the trailer and the boat to flip over and leak gasoline.