Four local fire companies were initially dispatched to the area of 44 Castle Hill Road shortly before 2 am, Wednesday,  May 25, following a call to Newtown's dispatch center that reported what the caller thought to be a fire in the woods.

Hook & Ladder firefighters and Newtown Police officers located the fire, which was in fact on the 66-plus acre property at 20 Castle Hill Road. The property also has access from Johnnie Cake Lane, off Mt Pleasant Road.

Hook & Ladder, Botsford, Hawleyville, and Sandy Hook's fire companies were all dispatched to the area. Once Hook & Ladder Assistant Chief Jason Rivera, who served as the incident command, reported heavy fire showing from all sides of the dwelling, all of Newtown's fire companies were toned out. Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps was also sent to the scene, and staged at Castle Hill Road at Old Castle Drive, to standby in the event of injuries.

The home that was burning is listed by the assessor's online database as a 1¾-story Cape, with a gabled roof of concrete tiles. The seven-bedroom house had a total living space of 5,703 square feet, also according to the database. The house was constructed in 1908.

A state fire marshal and K-9 were called to the scene. Brookfield sent a engine to offer standby support at Hook & Ladder's firehouse.

In addition to the firefighters on the property, a tanker shuttle was set up on Johnnie Cake Lane.

Approximately 230,000 gallons of water were reportedly used to douse the fire.

The property has a second building, also constructed in 1908, that was not affected by the fire.

Newtown Forest Association had hoped to purchase the property, and the adjacent land at 60 Castle Hill Road, three years ago. The land trust sought to buy the acreage from the Bridgeport Catholic Diocesan Corporation, which owned the properties at that time and had been in talks with GLT Development Corporation. GLT had been proposing to construct up to 136 cluster-style houses on the site.

The prospective real estate deal between the diocese and the forest association fell through.

In April 2013,  Newtown resident Joseph Draper purchased both pieces of property. In March of that year, according to a Bee article, the diocese announced the intent to sell to Mr Draper, "who intends to maintain the existing character of the properties, which formerly were known as the Gretsch estate."

Mr Draper, d/b/a Castle Hill Real Estate Holdings LLC, reportedly paid $1.7 million for 20 Castle Hill Road. The second parcel, another 70.27 acres of vacant land, was purchased for $1.8 million.

Hook & Ladder firefighters, the final ones to leave the fire scene, cleared from 20 Castle Hill just before 9:30 Wednesday morning. Newtown Police and a state fire marshal were still investigating the scene at that time.

Additional coverage of the overnight fire will be reported as details become available.

This story has been updated to reflect the correct apparatus sent for standby at Hook & Ladder's firehouse, as well as the amount of water used to put out the fire.