Fire Log: Rain, Snow, and Fire

Oh, That Wind and Rain:

Driving rain and gusting winds took down limbs and rattled power lines Monday, Jan. 25.

Firefighters got their first electrical fire call at 9:54 a.m. when a branch hit the wires above the train tracks along Old Studio Road. The wire was still arcing more than an hour later when the Fire Department received a second call from that location. 

Shortly after noon firefighters went to check on a house on Indian Rock Road where a tree had landed on the deck. There was no damage to the house. 

Less than an hour later a crew was chasing after transformer fluids streaming down Oenoke Lane where a tree had fallen, cracking open a transformer and downing wires. Firefighters sopped up and dammed up the gallon or less of liquid to prevent it from getting into a creek about 100 yards away. They notified the Department of Environmental Protection upon returning to the firehouse. 

A surge protector burned into the floor and light switches melted at a house on Weed Street around 2:15 p.m. when a tree fell on wires outside the residence. Firefighters put out a small electrical fire that had started there. 

Slippery Snow Causes Accidents: 

Firefighters freed the occupant of an SUV that had rolled over and wound up on its side in the snow around 7:45 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 28. It took firefighters about 10 minutes to free the occupant and right the vehicle. They were on the scene for about 40 minutes until the vehicle was towed away. Meanwhile, police handled a minor accident near the intersection of Weed and Elm Streets. 

A car struck a pole on Lukes Wood Road near Michigan Road less than an hour later Thursday morning. CERT volunteers came in to help direct traffic and firefighters remained on the scene for about 80 minutes until after a Connecticut Light & Power crew and wrecker had arrived. 

Town Hall Smells Bad: 

Firefighters got several calls Thursday, Jan. 28, to investigate a curious odor at Town Hall. EMS was called in to assist one town employee who felt dizzy from the odor, and the firefighters filled all the traps to make sure the sewage pipes were closed up, but the source of the smell was never determined. 

Fires Put Out: 

In addition to extinguishing a fire in the storage room at the back of Comina, a home furnishings store on Main Street, Monday, firefighters put out two small fires Saturday. 

Around 3:30 p.m. firefighters responded to a report of a dumpster fire on Urban Street about 2 feet from the house. Firefighters were on the scene for about 45 minutes. 

Shortly after 10 p.m. that night firefighters went to check on things at Cava where the pizza oven had flamed up. The kitchen was back to business a few minutes later. 

Gas Leaks and Furnace Malfunctions: 

Firefighters ventilated a house on Brushy Ridge Road where the alarm went off around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 24. Gas levels above the garage were metered at 16 parts per million. 

About 24 hours later firefighters shutdown the furnace and ventilated a house on Betsy's Lane where carbon monoxide levels were registering at 15 parts per million. 

A heavy gas smell prompted residents of a house of Parting Brook Road to call the Fire Department Monday, Jan. 25, at 3:20 p.m. The propane tank to the stove was shutoff and the gas company was on the scene less than 15 minutes later. 

Helping Hands: 

Firefighters cut the power to a smoke detector that had itself started smoking at a house on Crystal Street Wednesday morning. They also helped clean up fluids left by a minor accident in the parking lot of Wachovia Bank. 

Thursday they helped lift a resident of Indian Rock Road who was quite sick into the ambulance. 

Friday they helped a caller whose house was getting very cold after a fuse had apparently blown. 

False Alarms—9: 

Nine calls to the Fire Department this week were later labeled false alarms including one incident in which moisture set off the alarm at a condo on South venue around 8:15 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25. A false alarm at the Congregational Church and Nursery School prompted the evacuation of the building shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26. Three of the false alarms were construction-related. Renovation work also activated the temperature detector at a house on Mill Road Friday around 2 a.m. 

In addition to the labeled false alarms, a report of a gas leak at a house on Laurel Road around 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, proved unfounded. Firefighters also found nothing when they investigated the report of another gas leak on Oenoke Ridge Thursday, Jan. 28. 

An electrical burning smell at the Public Works Garage on Main Street turned out to be nothing Thursday morning. 

The alarm went off twice at a residential building on Main Street Friday, Jan. 29. Firefighters returned to the station after doing an exterior inspection and detecting nothing around 12:46 a.m. After the alarm sounded again at 1:11 p.m. firefighters determined a puffback had activated the smoke detector.