NVFD’s new $568,000 engine got its first workout at two-alarm on Route 272

Quick NVFD response saves most of home facing foreclosure

By Lloyd Garrison

It could have been worse for John Baird and two family members who own the residence at 832 Litchfield Road on Route 272. The home, whose owners are fighting foreclosure, was vacant when a passerby spotted smoke and called 911 at 5:43 p.m. on Oct. 24. As luck would have it, Norfolk volunteer firemen were suited up and had just finished responding to a false alarm when the dispatcher advised the crew of the fire. With the town’s new $568,000 engine in the lead, they responded through a torrential wind-swept rain and within minutes reached the site of the fire four miles south of the Green. “We began advancing hose lines from the truck,” recalled First Assistant Fire Chief Matthew Ludwig, “when several second floor windows burst from the heat of the flames.” Fire departments from North Canaan, Winsted, Torrington and Lakeville were called to assist, but the Norfolk team contained the bulk of the fire within minutes of their arrival. It took just over an hour to completely douse the blaze. “A second floor room on the south end of the house was completely gutted,” said Ludwig, “and there was some water damage to the first floor.” The home’s exterior remained intact. Town and state fire marshals were still investigating the fire’s cause at press time. This was the first live test for the new engine, which sports “The Ice Box” emblazoned across its front grill. Firefighters used the engine’s compressed air foam to suppress the blaze. The wood framed house has undergone several expansions since the original structure was built in 1880. Baird filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in December of last year, and according to state court records, Northstar Mortgage filed foreclosure proceedings in June.