Fire Chief: House Fire Started on Back Porch (Update)

It took the efforts of about 40 volunteer firefighters to put out a house fire Friday evening at 105  Scenic Ct. Cheshire Fire Chief Jack Casner said he was the first to arrive at the scene where he found the fire had spread into the first and second floors of the large wooden home, and into the attic.

"(The fire) went up the outside and into all three floors," Casner said Monday. Three fire engines and a ladder truck responded to the fire just after 6 p.m., he said. The fire began near a gas grill on the back porch, Casner said, but it's too soon to say if the grill was the cause of the fire.

Deputy Fire Marshal Michael Kozlowski said Monday that the investigation is ongoing and he couldn't give a time-line for when it will be completed.

The home is owned by Rhonda S. Hendel, who along with her husband, Donald, lived in the nearly 4,000-square-foot home with two children. The home was deemed uninhabitable by the Cheshire Building Department. The Hendels couldn't be reached for comment.

The two adults and a daugther were at home when the fire began, Casner said, but they were able to leave the home and were uninjured. A family cat also got out safely and firefighters carried an aquarium outside, saving most of the fish in the tank, he said.

Casner said fire crews had to cut a hole in the roof of the house to relieve the smoke and fire that was spreading through the structure. The fire damage to the roof timbers can clearly be seen from the street that's lined with large homes off Country Club Road.

An earlier report on Cheshire Patch that said neighbors had been evacuated was not correct, Casner said. The road was closed for about two hours because fire hoses were stretched across the pavement, he added.

Casner asked that residents who took photos or videos of the fire send them to the fire department to be used for training. They may be emailed to him at: jcasner@cheshirect.org. He may also be reached at 203-272-1828.