About 30 firefighters responded midday on Tuesday, October 11, to a residential fire on Sunnyview Terrace that caused significant damage to a raised-ranch house near the end of that dead-end street, off Riverside Road in Sandy Hook.

Fire Marshal Bill Halstead said the accidental blaze apparently was caused by a malfunctioning portable electric space heater located in a bedroom on the upper level at the Wallenta residence at 23 Sunnyview Terrace. There were no injuries in the incident, the fire marshal said.

Mr Halstead, who also is chief of the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company, served as incident commander at the blaze that brought all five local volunteer companies to the scene - Sandy Hook, Hook & Ladder, Botsford, Hawleyville, and Dodgingtown.

Southbury volunteer firefighters responded as a "rapid intervention team" at the fire, which was reported at 11:09 am. Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps and town police also responded. Stevenson volunteer firefighters provided mutual aid fire backup support at the Botsford firehouse.

Fortunately, the home that caught fire is only about 1,000 feet from Sandy Hook's main firehouse at 18 Riverside Road, thus minimizing the travel time for fire vehicles to reach the emergency.

As firefighters tossed various fire-damaged items out of a second-story window of the tan house, Chief Halstead said, "We got it, knocked it down ... Now they're doing [fire] overhaul."

The fire chief said that the heaviest damage occurred in an upper level bedroom and adjacent hallway, where the fire scorched the interior. Other parts of the house received smoke and water damage. He estimated that firefighters used about 700 gallons of water carried on fire trucks to extinguish the blaze. Firefighters set up a portable water tank in the middle of Sunnyview Terrace.

When firefighters arrived at the burning home, flames were shooting out of two upper-level windows, Chief Halstead said. Volunteer firefighters carrying fire hoses attacked the blaze both from within the structure and from the yard, controlling the fire quickly.

Three of the four people who live in the house were at home when the fire was reported by them to fire officials, he said. The American Red Cross was called in to assist the residents, he said.

Though significantly damaged, the house was insured and can be repaired, Chief Halstead said. A damage value estimate was not available. The compact building with a walk-out basement is located on a steeply-sloped one-half acre lot. It was built in 1960.