Fire Marshal: Old Kings Highway Blaze 'Appears to Be Accidental'

A fire that scorched the top floor of a Darien residence early Sunday morning appears to have been accidental, according to the , despite the initial involvement of a detective in the investigation.

The blaze, which took place at 165 Old Kings Highway North, was called in by an occupant of the house around 2 a.m. 

A father and son had been asleep at the residence but awoke to heavy smoke in the air, according to Darien Police Sgt. Jeremiah Marron.

Deputy Fire Marshal Marc McEwan said that the residents didn't initially realize anything was wrong. 

"There was some delay in the reception of the alarm because the people in the residence had a fire in the fireplace, so when they smelled smoke, they assumed it was coming from there," McEwan said.

In fact, the fire had begun in an unoccupied bedroom on the second floor. 

"They tried to go seek the cause and were held back by the heavy [smoke] condition, so they called 911 and were advised to get out of the house," Marron said.

The , , and  were called to the scene to extinguish the blaze. When responders arrived, the second floor was "fully involved in fire and smoke," Marron said. 

The two residents were treated for minor smoke inhalation and released.

Though Darien Police Det. John Murphy was initially brought into the investigation to explore the possibility of arson, the fire "appears to be accidental," McEwan told Patch. The exact cause is not yet known, he added.

Clarification: The original version of this article omitted the Noroton Heights Fire Department from the list of companies that responded to the blaze. Patch regrets the oversight.