Late night blaze guts Thompson CT home

Nine fire departments from 
Connecticut and Massachusetts 
called to assist

Date:  Friday March 2, 2012
Location:  45 Jezierski Road, Thompson CT

Particulars:   A massive blaze swept through a single family home in Thompson CT late Friday night, leaving its owners temporarily homeless.

At approximately 11:58 PM on Friday March 2nd, all four of Thompson’s fire companies were alerted to a reported dwelling on fire in the area of 45 Jezierski Road, in Thompson’s North Grosvenordale district.  The fire was reported by a neighbor.

Community Fire Company Chief James Seney was the first to arrive on scene to find the home about half devoured by the fast moving flames.  The weather at the time would also ultimately affect the fire departments’ response because a freezing rain was falling and glazing the roads, delaying fire apparatus and first responders from getting to the scene quickly.  Chief Seney immediately knew he would need additional resources to quell this fire and requested mutual aid to respond to the scene.  In all, nine fire departments from Connecticut and Massachusetts would be called in to assist at the scene.

The first engine to arrive on the scene was unable to get up the lengthy driveway due to the heavy icing, and firefighters had to adapt and drag heavy hoselines up the icy drive to the front yard to supply smaller handlines that were simultaneously laid out to attack the unchecked fire.  The next hurdle that had to be overcome was the lack of a substantial water supply nearby, so one of Quinebaug’s engines stopped at a nearby pond and drafted water to supply an armada of tanker trucks which carried their water loads to the scene.

All of the firefighters and their departments worked very well together in a coordinated effort to extinguish a very difficult house fire.  There was no one home at the time of the fire, but the owner did show up on scene shortly after the fire had been brought under control.  The house appeared to be a total loss.  Chief Seney started releasing mutual aid companies at around 5 AM, some 5 hours after the initial alarm.  The cause of the fire is under investigation by Thompson Fire Marshal Rick Hayes as well as the State Fire Marshals Office.  At the present time, the cause has been listed as “undetermined”.  Marshal Hayes and investigators from the state fire marshal’s office are looking in the area of the fireplace for a potential cause, but have not reached a definite conclusion.  There were no injuries reported, and a damage estimate has not been released.

Departments called to aid the Community Fire Company of North Grosvenordale in fighting the fire were the Thompson Hill FD, West Thompson FD, East Thompson FD, Quinebaug VFD, East Putnam FD, Muddy Brook FD(North Woodstock), Attawaugan FD and Dudley FD.

More photos:

Photos: