Two Fires Plague Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Highlights Importance of Smoke Detectors and Mutual Aid
At 2:33 a.m. the Old Saybrook Fire Department was dispatched to 36 Ford Drive after receiving a report of a chimney fire that extended into the walls.
The department arrived within minutes with two engine companies, one ladder company, and a heavy rescue vehicle.
Clinton Fire Department responded with a Rapid Intervention Team while Essex and Westbrook Fire Departments each provided engine companies which stood by on scene.
The Deep River Fire Department provided station coverage in Old Saybrook.
The high response level allowed firefighters to quickly open up the walls and ceilings to expose and extinguish the hidden fire.
A smoke detector allowed the home's three occupants to exit the home.
One person received minor injuries while exiting the home and was transported to the Middlesex Medical Center in Essex.
As firefighters entered the home with their hose lines, a dog escaped and was later found by firefighters in the neighborhood and returned to the family.
Firefighters were on scene for over two hours.
Donn Dobson, Old Saybrook's Fire Marshal, said it was determined that the fire was caused by a faulty chimney causing only internal damage to the house.
Old Saybrook Fire Department firefighter J.T. Dunn said, "in this case it shows that a simple smoke detector in the home saved three people's lives. It's unimaginable that someone would not have a smoke detector with a working battery."
Dobson said the importance of working smoke detectors has been highlighted as well through other fires along the shoreline such as in Clinton and Madison.
The detector made a huge difference in alerting the home's occupants and allowing them to leave their homes quickly.
About a half hour later at 3:07 a.m., a truck fire was reported a few miles away on Interstate 95 Southbound near exit 66.
Two engine companies from Old Lyme responded and extinguished the fire which involved a truck with approximately 35,000 pounds of clams.
Dunn said Connecticut State Police also responded but the fire did not require the highway to be closed.
Dobson said that fire remains under investigation and the cause remains undetermined.
Published by Corey Sipe
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