Sandy Hook House Destroyed By Predawn Fire

By Andrew Gorosko

A fast-moving predawn fire on Sunday morning destroyed a large Colonial-style farmhouse at Zoar Ridge Stables in Sandy Hook, forcing the building’s five residents to flee the burning building, which later disintegrated amid towering flames.

On Monday morning, three town fire investigators picked through the charred debris of what had been an attached garage at the 3,600-square-foot house at the 30-acre property that overlooks Lake Zoar. Only two tall masonry chimneys remained standing amid the building’s fire-blackened remains.

Resident Brian Sullivan, who discovered the fire, explained the incident to the fire investigators.

After hearing a noise, Mr Sullivan, who had been upstairs at about 4:50 am, went down to the attached garage to check for possible problems.

On opening the door between the house and garage, he was physically stunned by a blast of heat and smoke discharged by an intense fire underway within the garage. Mr Sullivan told the investigators that when he opened the door to the garage, he saw that a golf cart stored within the garage was on fire.

He ran upstairs to alert his wife Annette and their daughters Emma and Laura of the blaze and to get them out of the burning building. Mr Sullivan also went to the basement where he warned tenant Bruce Kinnaman to get out of the building.

All five people got out of the house safely. Mr Sullivan later was checked at Danbury Hospital for smoke inhalation, after which he was released.

Four pet dogs were found to be all right, but two cats were unaccounted for.

The home’s residents have relocated to other living quarters on the horse farm.

According to police incident reports, Annette Sullivan placed an emergency call at 4:49 am reporting the house fire. Ms Sullivan operates the horse farm, which was founded in 1994.

When firefighters arrived at the scene at 5 Morgan Drive, they found a structure heavily involved in flames, said Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company Chief Bill Halstead, who was incident commander. Morgan Drive is a dead-end street that extends northward from Jeremiah Road.

Based on the extent of the flames that firefighters encountered, there was no prospect of saving the house from being destroyed by the blaze, according to Chief Halstead.

Realizing that the five residents of the building were safely outside the house, firefighters then began spraying water on adjacent buildings to prevent them from catching fire, Chief Halstead said. Those buildings, including a small house and small barn, did not ignite.

The house collapsed by about 5:45 am. It took approximately 90 minutes to get the fire under control.

“Something happened in the [attached] garage” to cause the fire, Chief Halstead said.

Chief Halstead, who also is the town fire marshal, was investigating the cause of the blaze on Monday morning with deputy fire marshals Rich Frampton and Steve Ketchum. Mr Ketchum also is a town police officer.

Insurance investigators have been brought in to probe the cause of the apparently accidental blaze. They are focusing their investigation on a possible electrical malfunction within the garage having caused the fire, Chief Halstead said.

Possible causes could involve a wiring problem, a malfunction of a battery charger that was being used to charge an automotive battery positioned on a bench, or some type of problem with the golf cart, he said.

The fire damage value is expected to exceed $700,000, Chief Halstead said.

 

Water Supply

One of the challenges of controlling the fire was getting adequate water to fight the flames, said Chief Halstead. Because a pond on the site was insufficient for firefighting, firefighters organized three water shuttle routes on which tanker trucks carried water to Morgan Drive, he said.

The fire tanker crews obtained the water at fire hydrants positioned at the intersection of Turnberry Lane and Toddy Hill Road, the intersection of Pearl Street and Washington Avenue, and at the Sandy Hook main firehouse on Riverside Road.

Overall, firefighters put about 100,000 gallons of water onto the fire, Chief Halstead said.

Besides Sandy Hook, the local fire companies that fought the fire were Hook & Ladder, Dodgingtown, Hawleyville, and Botsford. Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps members went to the scene.

Fire crews from other towns responding to the scene included Southbury, Monroe, Redding, Stony Hill, Danbury, and Ridgefield. Other area fire companies provided backup support to firefighters at local firehouses.

Chief Halstead estimated that about 75 firefighters went to the blaze.

Jeremiah Road was closed to through-traffic for about six hours.

A dog used by the state fire marshal was brought to the scene to sniff the area for “accelerants,” but found none of the substances, said Chief Halstead.

None of the horses that are kept at Zoar Ridge Stables were injured by the fire, he said.

Other than the golf cart, there were no vehicles in the garage when the blaze occurred, he added.

Of the fire’s intensity, he said, “There is nothing left but two chimneys and a basement…This thing was just unbelievable.

“If you have a fire in your house, get out and stay out,” Chief Halstead said, noting the speed at which a fire can move through a building.

Among the only items that were salvaged from the farmhouse on Sunday were a photo album, some photographs, a small jewelry box, and a small safe.

The Sandy Hook Ladies Auxiliary and the American Red Cross went to the fire, assisting both the victims and the firefighters.

Sandi Cole, who is the director of emergency services for the American Red Cross in western Connecticut, was among a team of four Red Cross workers who went to the fire about 6:30 am to aid both the victims and the emergency personnel at the scene.

“We were on the scene for over nine hours,” Ms Cole said. During that period the Red Cross provided people with hot and cold beverages and with snacks.

The Red Cross returned to the property on Monday and Tuesday, and plans to visit again to provide the fire victims with aid and provide emotional support, Ms Cole said Wednesday.

The organization delivered some food to the Sullivans and provided stipends for obtaining emergency clothing and food, Ms Cole said.

“They’re devastated by the loss,” Ms Cole said.

But in an effort to have the family’s life return to normal as soon as possible, both daughters went to school on Monday, Ms Cole said.

Besides providing the fire victims with the essentials needed to recover from the fire, the Red Cross seeks to provide emotional support to the victims, she said.

The Sullivans need some time to consider their future in light of their home’s destruction by the fire, Ms Cole said.

“They have a lot of support from their friends in the community…They received a tremendous outpouring [of support],” Ms Cole said. People visiting the horse farm were very compassionate and supportive, she said.

Mr Sullivan is very thankful that the people who were in the house when the fire occurred are safe, Ms Cole said.

Ms Cole said the Red Cross will stay in touch with the Sullivans to help them recover from the fire.

Chief Halstead said that firefighters are thankful for the aid provided by the ladies auxiliary unit and the Red Cross.

Another House Fire Investigation

Chief Halstead said fire investigators are still probing a fire that destroyed a vacant house at 24 Valley Field Road South overnight on November 4–5.

The cause of that blaze is currently categorized as “undetermined.” The fire, in which there were no injuries, caused more than $300,000 in property damage.

That fire was unusual because it went unnoticed while underway and was discovered the following morning by a workman who went to the scene to make some repairs which had been caused by a burglary.

Both police and fire officials are investigating that fire.

As in the house fire at Zoar Ridge Stables, only two chimneys were left standing at Valley Field Road South house fire. That road is a long dead-end street that extends northward from Old Green Road.

Fire officials expect that the fire went unnoticed because the house is in an isolated area and rainy overnight weather conditions obscured the blaze.

(Shannon Hicks contributed reporting to this story).