Blaze destroys home off Route 17

When firefighters arrived, the blaze at the ranch-style house at 45R Old Washington Trail was fully involved.

DURHAM >> There were no injuries in an early morning fire that consumed a 1,150-square-foot, onefamily home off Route 17 on Sunday.

A neighbor called 911 at 1:21 a.m., according to Durham Fire Marshal William Witecki, and when firefighters arrived, the blaze at the ranch-style house at 45R Old Washington Trail was fully involved. Firefighters extinguished it “fairly quickly for that size fire,” said Witecki, who is still determining the source.

The fire has been ruled accidental, but a final report has not yet been completed, Witecki said.

The five-room home, built in 1940, sits on 4.6 acres of land, according to the assessor’s database, and is off Route 17, or New Haven Road, near the intersection of Stage Coach Road.

A segment of Route 17 between School House Lane and Stage Coach Road was closed for several hours while crews battled the blaze, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Mutual aid was provided by Middletown’s South Fire District and the Middlefield and Killingworth volunteer fire crews.