Date: Fri 18-Jun-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

house-fire-arson-investigation

Full Text:

Arson Ruled in June 8 Fire

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Fire officials investigating the June 8 fire which caused an estimated

$500,000 in damage to a 19th Century farmhouse on Huntingtown Road in Botsford

have determined the blaze was an arson.

Police Detective Sergeant Henry Stormer, who also is a deputy fire marshal,

said Tuesday "We believe it's an arson... definitely an arson." The

investigation into the blaze will be ongoing, he said.

Firefighters from eight volunteer fire companies converged at the 1815

farmhouse to battle the stubborn wind-whipped fire in extreme heat and

humidity.

The persistent fire extensively damaged the unoccupied, antique-laden

farmhouse at 8 Huntingtown Road owned by local attorney Robert Hall.

"The home was burglarized prior to the fire. There was a larceny," Sgt Stormer

said. Entry was apparently gained by breaking in through a rear door, he said.

Items were missing from the home, he added.

"The home was forcefully entered at some point prior to the fire," the

sergeant said. The circumstances lead investigators to believe that the

burglar set the fire, he said.

Investigators have checked with the passerby who first reported the fire. The

passerby found the back door of the house was already broken when he

encountered the blaze, Sgt Stormer said.

The fire originated in a storage closet beneath a stairway which links the

first and second stories of the house. The specific cause of the fire remains

unknown.

Of the fire, Sgt Stormer said "We can't find any accidental reasons for it."

Although the house had electric service, electricity is not considered an

ignition source in the fire, he said. A search of the premises with a

specially-trained dog turned up no fire accelerants, he said.

Sgt Stormer said he is awaiting a report from the state fire marshal's office

on its investigation into the fire.

Sgt Stormer termed the case a high priority investigation involving a felony

and much physical damage. There were no injuries in the blaze.

Investigators will be checking background information and investigative leads

through interviews in an effort to develop suspects in the case, he said.

"We have leads that we're looking at... I can't discuss the particulars," he

added.

State and local fire marshals spent hours at the fire scene June 9

investigating to determine the cause and origin of the blaze.

Firefighters from Botsford, Newtown Hook and Ladder, Sandy Hook, Hawleyville,

Dodgingtown, Stepney, Monroe and Southbury went to the scene to battle the

fire which proved very difficult to extinguish. The fire, which was reported

at 1:48 pm, was declared under control about 4:15 pm.

Investigators have said it appears the fire had been burning for quite a long

time, possibly three to four hours, before it was discovered.

Mr Hall has said his son and daughter-in-law were the last people to have

lived in the house full-time. They moved out last October. Mr Hall has said he

had been restoring the house in recent months and planned to move into it with

his wife Margot, the judge of probate.

The house contained many valuable pieces of antique furniture and personal

memorabilia, including photos, documents and maps. The house contained items

dating back through the many generations of the Hall family who had lived

there, Mr Hall said.

Firefighters have remarked about the difficulty they had in putting out the

fire which repeatedly rekindled after it had apparently been put out. The aged

wood of the house and its balloon-style construction with dual walls made the

fire hard to extinguish, requiring 56,000 gallons of water to put it out.

Mr Hall has expressed hope that he can salvage and rebuild the house which

received extensive structural damage. The building was insured.