Series of deadly winter fires hits Eastern CT, including blaze that killed Plainfield man

It’s been a fiery few weeks in Eastern Connecticut, with local departments responding to more than half-a-dozen structure fires - including one that claimed the life of a Plainfield resident - since the new year began.

On Jan. 10, Plainfield firefighters from the town’s volunteer departments responded to a condominium fire at 113 Sachem Road in which 62-year-old resident Jason “Jake” Harvey died of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. The cause of the fire was labeled “undetermined” but not suspicious in nature, Fire Marshal Constantino Galasso said.

On Sunday, a fire broke out at 398 Green Hollow Road in the Atwood Hose fire district which left three ducks, a chicken and a dog dead. Galasso said the fire, determined to be accidental, was likely caused by a falling heat lamp.

“The lamp was on PVC plastic legs, which is how they come, near a duck pen in the basement,” he said. “We can’t know for sure if a duck jumped up and knocked it over or if the legs softened from the heat and toppled over and had contact with a nearby couch.”

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Galasso, who also serves as the deputy fire marshal for the town of Thompson, said ducks and a heat lamp were also involved in an Indian Road house fire on Jan. 8 in Thompson.

“In that case, the duck pen was outside, but two ducks died,” he said.

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According to a statement from Thompson Fire Marshal James Seney, an occupant of the home escaped, as did two dogs, after the malfunctioning lamp caused fire to jump from the first floor to the attic.

Challenges to fighting fires in the cold

Galasso said January fires can be challenging, especially when sub-zero temperatures come into play.

“It’s a complicating factor,” he said. “If you’ve got snow and ice, it’s harder to get to a scene and increases the chances of slips and falls just by walking. At the Sachem fire, we had to have (the town’s public works crew) sand down the road.”

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Galasso said freezing hydrants can be a concern, but more so in larger cities which have equipment designed to thaw the water sources.

“For firefighters, they can get soaked as they're moving through open walls as the spray comes in,” he said. “We have the means to bring equipment to a site, like heavy rescue vehicles, so the guys can sit down and have a rest and warm up. And that need isn’t just for fires, but for search-and-rescue and ice rescues.”

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In Norwich, city and volunteer fire departments have also been busy this month. A Jan. 8 fire at the R & A Convenience Store on Main Street sent one firefighter to The William W. Backus Hospital for non-threatening injuries. He was later released.

The fire, which belched heavy black smoke into the street, caused moderate damage to the store, fire officials said.

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Three days later on Jan. 11, Norwich units responded to a barn fire at 195 Corning Road. Fifty firefighters from five departments spent hours knocking down the blaze which destroyed the structure. Fire officials said a resident was able to remove the animals from the building, but one calf died.

On Thursday, seven residents were displaced from their Thirteenth Street home after a kitchen fire moved from a stove area to the structure’s cabinets and ceiling. The blaze caused moderate fire and light smoke damage throughout the residence, fire officials said.

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On Saturday, a fire destroyed a Lisbon mobile home on Bundy Hill Road. Two people escaped the fire without injuries. A cause of the fire has not yet been released.

Norwich Deputy Fire Marshal Mark Gilot said there’s been no determination yet on the causes of any of the three January fires in the city.

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“But there’s no indication that any of the fires are because of a criminal act,” he said. “They are individual cases that are not connected.”

On top of the January caseload, Gilot said his department is also still investigating three December blazes. He said the frequency of fires ebb and flow throughout the year.

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“We’ll have nothing for a month and then get slammed before it stops again,” he said. “Then it happens all at once again.”

John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at (860) 857-6965

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Eastern CT fire departments report several blazes already in January