Fire Chief John Littell said the homeowner reported the fire at about noon and that fire crews were there in a few minutes. He said firefighters got inside the house and put out the blaze within twenty minutes. No one was hurt although one firefighter who was inside the house suffered what appears to have been heat stress and was sent to Hartford Hospital for observation. But he had been sent home by Sunday evening, Littell said.
How the fire got started was still being investigated on Sunday evening. Littell said the blaze started in the basement of the house and quickly spread to the attic, which forced firefighters to vent the roof to help put it out.
Because of the number of fire trucks at the scene, one lane of Crystal Lake Road was closed for about an hour but the road was fully reopened by about 3 p.m., Littell said. The house sustained extensive heat and smoke damage. Because of that, Littell said the family that lives there is staying with a friend.
In addition to fire crews from town, firefighters from Ellington and Somers helped out, Littell said.
By Ken Byron, Hartford Courant