Two major fires in Newtown displaced families, at least temporarily, this year. All five of the town’s volunteer fire companies made quick work at each location, and no human life was lost, but homes were nevertheless destroyed or heavily damaged.

The first fire occurred during the early morning hours of May 7. Firefighters were dispatched shortly after 1 am following a report of a structure fire at 5 Farrell Road. The circa 1900 home at that address was fully involved upon arrival.

Three people were living in the home at that time. All were able to escape, although one adult male was rescued from the roof and transported to the hospital for severe burns he sustained.

One dog was rescued from the house during the fire, and another escaped and was found a few hours later. One cat died in the fire, however.

The blaze took at least an hour to knock down, according to Deputy Fire Marshal Steve Murphy. Overhaul, according to Hawleyville Fire Chief John Basso, took another two hours.

No firefighters were injured during the incident. Chief Basso estimated 45 firefighters responded to the scene.

Meadowbrook Road

The second major fire destroyed a 54-year-old barn structure at 34 Meadowbrook Road. Firefighters were dispatched at 4:41 am Thursday, July 11, and arrived to find family members and a caretaker scrambling to get all of the horses in their care out of the barn.

Approximately 50 local firefighters responded to the scene, including members from Stepney and Stevenson in Monroe. The first firefighters on the scene encountered flames that were reaching 50 feet high at times.

It took approximately 30 minutes to knock the fire down, and then another 2½ hours to do a complete overhaul.

All animals were safely removed from the building, including chickens and ducks, one dog, and one cat.

According to assessor database records, the barn-stable was built in 1965. The building also had an apartment, where tenant Evelyn Hanlon and two of her adult children lived at the time of the fire. The family operated Long Meadow Horse Farm, a horse boarding business, out of the barn.

The Seaveys have since relocated to a different nearby farm, where they continue to operate their business.

A main house on the 20-acre Meadowbrook Road property, located approximately 50 yards from the barn, was untouched by the fire.

The fire rekindled later in the day but was doused within a few minutes.

Newtown Deputy Fire Marshal Steve Murphy said July 12 that the cause may not be found. There were no signs of arson, he said.

Mutual Aid

In addition to their own in-district fires, Newtown fire companies were among the many to provide mutual aid to Bethel in May when a fire was reported within an industrial building in the southwestern section of that town.

Dodgingtown, Hawleyville, and Sandy Hook all responded to 21 Francis J. Clarke Circle shortly after 3 pm, May 19. They joined companies across the region that sent manpower and/or apparatus to the fire at the building that houses Intersurface Dynamics, a chemical manufacturer, and ATP, an adhesive tape company.

More than 100 firefighters reportedly responded to the scene. Three tankers were requested from Newtown to assist at the fully involved structure fire, which reportedly destroyed the ATP side of the building and heavily damaged the chemical manufacturer.

In addition to the tankers to the scene, Newtown’s fire companies provided coverage at local stations.

At the same time that many fire units were initially responding to the fire, Bethel’s 2019 Memorial Day Parade was taking place. Bethel Fire Chief Scott Murphy told The Newtown Bee that responding units maneuvered around the celebration.

No injuries were reported at that fire.

Most recently, three companies sent their tankers to Monroe to aid in the battle of a structure fire. On Sunday, December 22, tankers and crews from Botsford, Dodgingtown, and Sandy Hook were sent to Monroe, where firefighters were contending with a stubborn fire within a 3,100-square-foot, circa 1860 home on Hattertown Road.