On Thanksgiving, a family in southern Connecticut lost their waterfront mansion, valued at over $4 million, after a turkey fryer reportedly caused a fire in the garage.
The Weston Volunteer Fire Department reported that the fire occurred at a home near a large pond in Weston, about 65 miles southwest of Hartford, the state capital.
Weston Fire Chief John Pokorny told USA Today that approximately 40 people were inside the house when the blaze began. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
According to a news release from the fire department, crews were dispatched to Weston Road at 3:42 p.m. Thursday following a fire alarm activation. Upon arrival, firefighters found a fully involved garage fire that was quickly spreading to the rest of the home. Public Relations Officer Ryan Blake confirmed that everyone inside the house evacuated safely after the fire broke out.
“Firefighters attempted an aggressive fire attack however their efforts were thwarted by dangerous fire conditions and structural collapse,” the agency wrote in the release. “In addition, a vehicle drove over the water supply hose on Weston Road, damaging the line, which completely stopped the flow of water for several minutes.”
The agency reported that crews battled the fire for more than 16 hours.
“The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Weston Fire Marshal, however, based on the preliminary investigation it appears the fire began in the garage and was the result of frying a turkey,” the agency wrote.
The mansion that caught fire was deemed uninhabitable and a total loss.
According to Zillow, the 11-bedroom, 9.5-bath, 9,378 square-foot home sold for $4,01,800.
“I would like to thank all the Weston volunteer firefighters, Weston volunteer EMS, WPD, as well as the mutual aid fire departments from Westport, Easton, Wilton, Ridgefield, Georgetown, Redding, and West Redding, who battled the house fire during Thanksgiving,” said Weston First Selectwoman Samantha Nestor. “Special thanks to the Weston Public Work, American Red Cross, Salvation Army of Danbury, Aquarion, Eversource and Soco Gas for their assistance. Thank you for your Service and I am grateful everyone is safe.”
The official cause of the fire was still under investigation as of Monday, but a preliminary inquiry identified a turkey fryer inside the garage as the likely source.
A post on Georgetown’s Facebook page described the incident as “a stark reminder of the dangers of frying turkeys indoors.”