Neighbor’s Response Minimized

Fire Damage To Obtuse Road Home

By John Voket

Fire Marshal William Halstead is crediting the quick response of a neighbor and local volunteer fire companies for minimizing damage from a roof fire at a home at 80 Obtuse Road Sunday evening, October 8. Mr Halstead said first responders could not even see the reported fire from the street, because it was actively burning along the rear edge of a wood shingle roof, visible only to a homeowner whose property borders the back of the home.

But arriving crews from Hawleyville, Hook and Ladder, and Sandy Hook Fire and Rescue quickly located the fire, extinguished it, and overhauled the area of the roof and attic below, Hawleyville Chief Paul Basso added.

Mr Halstead said upon investigating, that the homeowner reportedly lit a fire in his fireplace earlier that day. Either a small chimney fire or a burning ember likely caused dry leaves on the rear corner of the roof, or in an adjacent gutter to ignite, spreading to the wood shingles.

“It may have been a spark, or a piece of creosote, or something discharged from a small chimney fire that hit the corner of the roof or leaves in the gutter,” Mr Halstead told The Bee Thursday.

He said an inspection of the chimney after the fire turned up no issues or maintenance problems. Damage was estimated at $25,000 because Mr Halstead expected the entire roof would need to be replaced, and there was some minor water invasion to the lower floor below the attic.

Chief Basso said most damage was contained to the roof and attic. And although Newtown Ambulance volunteers stood by, there were no reported injuries to the occupants or firefighters.

“If the fire had occurred later, after residents went to sleep, or the neighbor failed to notice the fire and immediately called us, the situation could have been much worse,” Chief Basso said.

“The first call came in to the local dispatch center at about 6:58 pm,” Mr Halstead said, “so we got there quick and contained the fire.”