By Andrew Gorosko

About 60 firefighters from all five local fire companies joined forces Monday night during frigid conditions to battle a stubborn blaze at an unoccupied antique home on High Rock Road, which extensively damaged the 261-year-old wood-frame structure.

Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Chief Bill Halstead said that some type of furnace problem apparently caused the fire, which proved difficult to extinguish in the 1743 house at 22 High Rock Road. The house is used as a weekend residence by owner Richard Cichocki of New York City, the fire chief said.

No one was home at the time that the blaze was reported, Chief Halstead said. The severe wintry conditions resulted in several firefighters being treated at the scene for exposure, he said.

Chief Halstead said the fire caused “hundreds of thousands of dollars” of damage to the insured structure. Chief Halstead it appears that the damage is so extensive that the house may be considered a total loss. The house is located at the intersection of High Rock Road and Grays Plain Road.

The first call alerting firefighters of the blaze came in at 7:14 pm. Botsford, Sandy Hook, Newtown Hook & Ladder, Dodgingtown, and Hawleyville firefighters were dispatched to the scene, as were fire crews from Monroe and Stevenson. Also, Southbury and Stepney firefighters stood by at local firehouses. The last fire crew left the fire scene at 11:30 pm.

Because the main floor of the house collapsed onto the furnace in the basement, it has been difficult to gain access to the furnace to determine the exact cause of the blaze, said Chief Halstead, who also is the town’s fire marshal.

Mr Cichocki, who has owned the one-story house for more than 20 years, had left the premises at about 3 pm Monday, Chief Halstead said.

 The fire proved especially difficult to extinguish, considering the age of the house and consequent dryness of the wood of which it is built, Chief Halstead said

The extreme cold resulted in icing conditions stemming from the use of water to put out the blaze.

Firefighters shuttled water to the house from a pond near Route 34, Chief Halstead said.

The High Rock Road fire was the worst blaze that firefighters have encountered since a house fire last May on Walnut Tree Hill Road, which destroyed the home of State Representative Julia Wasserman, Chief Halstead said.

The two fires presented different weather conditions to firefighters, he said, noting that the fire last May was fought on an extremely hot and humid day.

The frigid weather made it difficult to fight the High Rock Road blaze, but those present did a “tremendous job” in putting out the flames, Chief Halstead said.

The old-style construction of the house resulted in the fire repeatedly popping up in various locations within the building, he said.

Firefighters were called to the scene on the following morning to resolve a smoke condition there.