Niantic fire causes extensive damage but no injuries
East Lyme — Flames late this morning engulfed the back sunroom and some of the interior at a one-story home in Niantic.
The 77 Corey Lane blaze did the most damage in the kitchen and sunroom, according to the son of the owners. Kyle Rinoski, of Lyme, said his parents were traveling in Virginia at the time of the fire and the tenant in an attached apartment was at work.
No firefighters or civilians were injured, according to Niantic Fire Department Chief Jim Barone.
Rinowski said a dog was safely removed from the house.
Shortly after 1 p.m., there were no visible flames coming from the house and crews had begun overhauling the scene to make sure there were no hidden flames under debris or inside walls.
Barone said the fire was coming from the rear of the house when firefighters arrived. Crews attempting to go in through the front door to push flames out back were repelled by the heat, according to the chief.
The Old Saybrook rapid intervention team, Jordan and Oswegatchie fire companies of Waterford, and Old Lyme Ambulance also responded.
Pete Levanti, a maintainer with the town Water and Sewer department, was the one who called the fire into dispatch when he saw a high volume of smoke coming from the house while driving down the street.
"You could tell it wasn't a campfire," he said. "I called 911 and let them know they had a possible structure fire, smoke showing."
Levanti, a volunteer firefighter with the Flanders Fire Department from when he was 15 years old until about three years ago, said he and a neighbor knocked on the door to the main house and the apartment to find nobody home. He said no more than 30 seconds later, flames were coming through the roof.
"Helping out just seemed like old nature," he said.
Deputy Fire Marshal Frank Ellsworth early Friday afternoon called in the Office of the State Fire Marshal for extra manpower since Fire Marshal John Way was on vacation. Shortly before 2 p.m., Ellsworth said he had not yet gone through the house but had no reason to suspect arson.
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