Sugar Street—

Accidental Fire Destroys Three-Bay Garage

By Andrew Gorosko

As darkness fell on Saturday, December 15, firefighters from three volunteer fire companies responded to reports of an intensely burning residential garage, which was destroyed by an accidental fire.

About 40 firefighters from Newtown Hook & Ladder, Sandy Hook, and Dodgingtown went to 13 Sugar Street (Route 302) where they found a three-bay detached garage completely aflame at about 4:49 pm.

Multiple Emergency 911 calls had been placed by nearby residents alerting firefighters of the blaze.

Hook & Ladder Second Assistant Fire Chief Joe Miller served as incident commander at the fire, said Hook & Ladder Fire Chief Dave Ober.

Fire Marshal Bill Halstead said this week that fire officials were continuing to investigate the cause the blaze, which he estimated resulted in more than $50,000 worth of damage. A specific damage estimate was not available.

The fire may have been caused by an electrical malfunction, he said. Fire officials will be conferring with insurance investigators in seeking to pinpoint the cause of the fire, he said.

A 2001 Volkswagen Jetta that was parked inside the sizable garage was destroyed by the blaze, Mr Halstead said.

“The fire was well-involved on our dispatch,” said Chief Ober.

Firefighters were able to quickly control the blaze with a jet of water from a high-powered, truck-mounted fire nozzle, he explained. But the fire was so advanced when firefighters arrived that the structure was leveled by the blaze, Chief Ober said.

A section of Sugar Street near the fire scene was closed to traffic for a time while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. Later, alternating two-way traffic was permitted, after which normal traffic resumed.

Subfreezing temperatures resulted in some icing conditions in the area. Chief Ober said that one firefighter at the blaze slipped and fell on the ice, but was not injured.

The detached garage was situated at the end of a long driveway, well behind the ornate Victorian-style Debrantes residence at 13 Sugar Street.

The intense heat from the flames caused minor damage to a nearby poolhouse.

The garage was roughly 75 feet away from the Victorian house, which was not damaged by the fire, Chief Ober said.

Initially, eight fire trucks were dispatched to the scene, he said. A nearby hydrant provided firefighting water.

Based on the intensity of fire when firefighters arrived, “It obviously was burning for a while,” Chief Ober said.

A teenage boy who lives at 13 Sugar Street was home when the fire occurred, Mr Halstead said. The youth was among the many people who reported the fire after it was discovered, he said.

The fire sent a plume of black smoke skyward, which was visible from a distance.