Third fire this year at former Salem pheasant farm draws investigators
Salem — The third suspicious fire in six months had state and local investigators combing the grounds of a vacant game bird farm on Wednesday for evidence the fire was intentionally set.
Wednesday’s fire destroyed much of a 75-foot-long bird coop at Bourdeau’s Pheasant Farm, 343 Old Colchester Road. No injuries were reported.
Gardner Lake Fire Department Deputy Chief John Cunningham said firefighters were called to the farm on two occasions earlier this year to extinguish brush fires.
The property has no electricity, making an accidental fire unlikely, officials said.
Wednesday's fire was reported at 1:37 p.m. and the plume of smoke could be seen from the fire house less than a mile away. Some passersby had stopped in to the firehouse to report the blaze.
The fire had consumed half of the coop prior to firefighters' arrival but was stopped from spreading and under control within about 20 minutes, Cunningham said.
Since the area does not have fire hydrants, Gardner Lake called on mutual aid from a host of neighboring fire departments to bring in water.
The farm until recently was home to thousands of pheasants, quail and partridges sold to local conservation, hunting and game clubs. It closed after the death of owner Donald Bourdeau in September and his wife, Anne, in February.
The vacant and now overgrown 60-acre property is home to at least a dozen coops and outbuildings that used to house the game birds.
A dog trained to sniff out accelerants such as gasoline joined members of the state police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit at the scene. The Montville fire marshal’s office and state police major crime detectives from Troop K in Colchester also were present. All declined comment.
Cunningham said Salem’s fire marshal is Donald Bourdeau Jr., the son of the farm's former owners. He has recused himself from the investigation.
While no injuries were reported, Cunningham noted that each fire has drawn on resources and manpower.
Included in Wednesday’s response was Salem, Colchester, Bozrah, Oakdale, Mohegan Sun and East Great Plain fire departments.
Investigators said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.
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