Crime & Safety

Firefighters Battle Blaze on Yankee Hill Road

An alarm was set off at 11:50 a.m.

Clouds of smoke billowed from a charred opening in the roof of a yellow colonial at 23 Yankee Hill Road well after noon Monday, as firefighters tossed debris out of a first-floor window.

An alarm was activated at 11:50 a.m. and a dispatcher received a call from a neighbor, who saw flames shooting from the house, about 30 seconds later.

Fire Marshal Bill Davin said no one was home when the fire was spreading.

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"A cat is missing," said Kevin Catalano, a firefighter. "I believe three people lived in the house."

The owner of the single-family house is listed at Francis C. Bennett, according to the field card for the property.

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Built in 1984, the two-story colonial has three bedrooms and two full baths. Bennett bought the property in 2006.

"It looks like it started on the second floor," Davin said. "But we can't pinpoint it yet."

Deputy Fire Marshal Gary Zaleta is heading the investigation. The house is unhabitable with extensive damage well into the six figures, according to Catalano.

All three town fire departments — Monroe, Stevenson and Stepney — responded to the emergency call.

Zaleta said White Hills Fire Co. was on the scene to provide a Rapid Intervention Team should any Monroe firefighters get into trouble and need to be rescued themselves.

Trumbull and Oxford covered Monroe while its units were on scene, Catalano said.

Monroe's reponse included five engines, two ladder trucks and 32 firefighters, none of whom were hurt. All firetrucks cleared the scene by 2:30 p.m.


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