On Thanksgiving, a family in southern Connecticut lost their waterfront mansion, worth more than $4 million, after a fire in the garage allegedly caused by a turkey fryer.
The Weston Volunteer Fire Department said the fire broke out at a home near a large pond in Weston, about 65 miles southwest of the state capital, Hartford.
Weston Fire Chief John Pokorny said. USA Today About 40 people were inside the house when the fire broke out. Thankfully, no casualties have been reported.
According to a news release from the fire department, crews were dispatched to Weston Road at 3:42 p.m. Thursday after a fire alarm was activated. Upon arrival, firefighters found the garage fully engulfed in flames which was rapidly spreading to the rest of the home. Public relations officer Ryan Blake confirmed that everyone inside the house was evacuated safely after the fire.
“Firefighters attempted an aggressive fire attack, however their efforts were thwarted by hazardous fire conditions and structural collapse,” the agency wrote in the release. “In addition, a vehicle ran over a water supply hose on Weston Road, damaging the line, completely stopping the flow of water for several minutes.”
The agency said crews battled the fire for more than 16 hours.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Weston Fire Marshal, however, based on the preliminary investigation it appears the fire originated in the garage and resulted from frying a turkey,” the agency wrote.
The mansion that caught fire was deemed unfit for habitation and was a total loss.
According to Zillow, the 11-bedroom, 9.5-bathroom, 9,378-square-foot home sold for $401,800.
“I want to thank all of the Weston volunteer firefighters, Weston Volunteer EMS, WPD, as well as the mutual aid fire departments of Westport, Easton, Wilton, Ridgefield, Georgetown, Redding and West Redding who responded to the house fire over Thanksgiving. Found,” said Weston First Selectwoman Samantha Nestor. “Special thanks to Weston Public Works, American Red Cross, Salvation Army of Danbury, Aquarion, Eversource and Soco Gas for their assistance. Thank you for your service and I’m grateful everyone is safe.”
The official cause of the fire was still under investigation as of Monday, but a preliminary investigation identified a turkey fryer inside the garage as a possible source.
A post on Georgetown’s Facebook page described the incident as “a stark reminder of the dangers of frying turkeys indoors.”
