House Fire Damage Likely Exceeds $1 Million

By Andrew Gorosko

Fire Marshal Bill Halstead said this week that an early morning fire that destroyed a large house at 31 Great Hill Road on June 23 probably caused more than $1 million worth of damage.

Mr Halstead said that he has been working with insurance company fire investigators in seeking to determine the cause of the blaze.

“We’re pretty sure the fire started in the basement,” he said. Mr Halstead said, however, the cause of the fire remains “undetermined” and the investigation will continue.

An excavating machine may be brought to the fire scene to pick through the extensive wreckage in seeking to pinpoint the cause of the fire, he said.

The seven residents of the house were staying elsewhere when the fire occurred. The house had been under repair following damage that it had received during last winter’s severe weather.

The town building official has condemned the Great Hill Road house due to the heavy damage, Mr Halstead said. The 3,684-square-foot house is owned by Anita Pettengill.

In another investigation, Mr Halstead said that a lightning strike that started at fire at the Grasso residence at 8-A Walnut Tree Hill Road midday on June 22 caused an estimated $30,000 damage to the 3,024-square-foot building.

A bolt of lightning caused a fire in the ceiling of the house’s basement. The residents were not at home when the fire occurred.