A storm that blew into the region on Thursday brought with it rain and strong winds, knocking out power to some and flooding roads along the shoreline, complicating response to a fire in Stonington on Friday.

Officials from several shoreline towns said it was the stiff northeast wind driving in water during Friday morning’s high tide that caused the majority of the problems.

“Our home was an island,” said Ruth Peterle-Dzurec, standing with her daughter Gretchen and husband Paul Dzurec outside their home on Lindberg Road at Lord’s Point in Stonington.

The family had watched firefighters arrive Friday morning, responding to a call for a fire at the end of Lindberg Road. The problem for firefighters was the home was cut off by waist deep water.

Bill Murphy, who was visiting his mother on nearby Oak Street, had noticed the smoke and walked to the nearby railroad tracks to get around the water to the home. He discovered the smoke coming from a utility room in the unoccupied home.

He helped firefighters negotiate a path to the home around the water.

Stonington Borough Fire Chief Jeff Hoadley said Amtrak shut down train service while firefighters walked along the tracks, carrying fire extinguishers and water cans, to get to the home. Meanwhile, Hoadley said firefighters commandeered a row boat from the Dzurecs to not only check the depth of the water but to ensure the road had not been washed away.

Firefighters extinguished a fire in a utility closet of the home and stopped it from spreading. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

High winds, high tides combine to make a ‘perfect storm’

New London Public Works Director Brian Sear said high tide was between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. He watched as the water inundated Green Harbor Beach, lapped at the retaining wall on Pequot Avenue and eventually spilled onto the roadway. Pequot Avenue was temporarily closed Friday morning because of the water. When the water receded, public works crews were out working to remove the sand and debris that the tide had left behind.

The extraordinarily high tides also caused flooding problems on Water and Hamilton streets in New London.

“All of the issues we had were tidal,” Sear said. “We were at least three feet above normal high tide, caused by the wind pushing the water up the river. The high winds coinciding with the high tides, it was kind of like a perfect storm.”

Parts of Groton were also under water during the morning’s high tide.

In the City of Groton, Mayor Keith Hedrick said said Shore Avenue, Beach Pond Road, Pine Island Road and Jupiter Point Road were all closed due to flooding.

“We’re keeping them blocked off until the water totally recedes,” Hedrick said. “We will have debris left over on the roads and we want to have the opportunity to clear those roads. That’s out of an abundance of caution and safety.”

Hedrick credited an aggressive vegetation management plan by Groton Utilities with keeping power outages to a minimum.

The storm led to a scattering of school closings across the state. Groton, New London and Montville were among local school districts to announce cancellations. Cross Sound Ferry canceled all departures because of the weather.

Norwich Public Utilities, on Friday morning, reported outages due to lines down and tree limbs on wires across the city and impacting about 1,500 customers. By early afternoon, the number was down to 500 customers without power.

By early Friday afternoon, water had already receded in most areas. Scattered showers were expected to continue late Friday with the possibility of wind gusts reaching 60 miles per hour.

A cold front Friday night will cause temperatures to plummet and could lead to a flash freeze of any moisture on the ground.

The state has implemented its severe cold weather protocol through Tuesday because of the frigid temperatures. Shelters and warming centers are open throughout Connecticut. Anyone in need of shelter should call 2-1-1 to get connected to nearby locations. Transportation can be provided.

New London has opened a walk-in winter warming center next to the emergency shelter at 325 Huntington St.

The state is also asking people to avoid visiting state parks. Several state parks have been closed due to downed trees.

Public transit is continuing to operate statewide, however there are could be delays and service disruptions on certain lines. Anyone planning to use public transit is urged to check with the respective transit operator for the latest updates. Visit CTrail.com to get directed to rail updates and CTtransit.com for bus updates.

“We are expected to receive another burst of high winds on Friday afternoon that are likely to cause many more power outages,” Governor Ned Lamont said is a statement. “Additionally, while it is mild and rainy outside right now, we are going to see temperatures plummet around dusk on Friday evening, and these wet conditions could freeze over very quickly. When this happens, roads are going to get icy. ”

g.smith@theday.com