News

After Scare in New Canaan, Fire Marshal Issues CO Safety Tips

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A New Canaan family is very lucky they had a working carbon monoxide detector Sunday night because they were alerted to a potentially life-threatening problem with their heating system. 

Responding firefighters found levels of 50 parts per million when they sampled the home’s atmosphere. The heating system was shut down and the home ventilated and a service tech was called. Signs of CO poisoning are headaches, nausea and bright red complexion. Long-term exposure to low levels of CO can be just as bad a short-term exposure to high levels. 

CO is created when incomplete combustion occurs from automobiles, heating systems, generators, fireplaces, etc. Following are some tips to help keep you and your family safe from “The Silent Killer”:

Have at least one CO detector outside of each sleeping area.

In Wake of Three Structure Fires in New Canaan, Local Fire Marshal Issues Safety Tips

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Recently, New Canaan has suffered three major structure fires with two of them related to fireplace use. The cause of the third fire was not able to be definitively determined. There was also a small brush fire caused by dumping of fireplace ashes that caused no damage (fortunately). Several residents have called regarding concerns for their fireplaces. Following are some fireplace safety tips to help keep us safe as we move into the fireplace season:

Depending on amount and type of use, chimneys should be cleaned and inspected by certified chimney cleaners at least every few years – more often if used extensively or if wood stoves are used.  Older chimneys may require video inspection to check for cracked flue liners and loose mortar.

Board of Selectmen

‘It’s a Lifesaving Issue’: Resident Calls on Town To Increase ‘Dry Hydrant’ Installations

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In the wake of recent fires in New Canaan, including one that will result in the total loss of a home, a longtime resident and local business owner is calling on the town to do more to help firefighters do their jobs. The town in this upcoming budget season should increase the recurring $10,000 set aside annually for installing and repairing “dry hydrants” that tap water supplies such as ponds, pools and streams in areas without water mains or regular fire hydrants, according to Tim Brown. Citing recent house fires including one on Dan’s Highway that rendered a home uninhabitable, Brown told members of the Board of Selectmen at their meeting Tuesday that the town “must do more on their own” help firefighters. “It’s great to have brick sidewalks and nice clocks—I am fully supportive of that—but I think we have to look at some of the outlying areas in the town to do a better job to support taxpayers,” Brown, owner of BTS Insurance, said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. “I don’t think we do enough.”

He added, “I just think the town needs to address this thing seriously with the effort to give back to the townspeople what they deserve.

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Fire Renders Strawberry Hill Road Home Uninhabitable Late Sunday

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A fire late Sunday rendered a Strawberry Hill Road home uninhabitable, officials say. New Canaan firefighters at 6:24 p.m. were dispatched to the home at 57 Strawberry Hill Road on a report of a blaze in its chimney, Fire Marshal Fred Baker said in a press release. 

There, they found a fire burning in the walls around the chimney and into the attic, Baker said. “The fire appears to have been caused by a breach in the chimney system, allowing hot embers to escape and ignite the structural members,” he said in the release. The homeowners were home at the time and no one was injured, Baker said. They’ve made arrangements to stay with neighbors, he said.

Fred Baker

Three-Alarm Fire on Father Peter’s Lane on Friday 

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Firefighters from New Canaan and surrounding towns responded on Friday afternoon to a three-alarm fire at a Father Peter’s Lane home, officials said. The call of a structure fire at the 2003-built home at 23 Father Peter’s Lane came in at about 3:15 p.m., and arriving units found a fire in the roof of the single-family dwelling, according to Fire Marshal Fred Baker. A second alarm brought mutual aid from companies in Vista and Pound Ridge, N.Y. as well as Norwalk, Stamford and Wilton, Baker said in a press release. As the fire moved toward the attic, a third alarm was called at 3:34 p.m. which brought in additional companies from South Salem, N.Y., Noroton Heights, Georgetown and Ridgefield, Baker said. The fire was declared under control at 5:30 p.m.

No one was injured, though the home’s occupants were in the residence at the time the fire started, Baker said.