Shakespeare fire’s cause so far unknown
STRATFORD – The Shakespeare theater was a popular spot for vandals and vagrants.
But officials said it’s too early to tell whether either could have been responsible for the spectacular conflagration that burned the storied local landmark – which closed in 1989 — to the ground early Sunday.
And though unofficial fundraising efforts to rebuild the theater, now a pile of twisted steel and charred wood, have begun, there are no firm plans in place for what happens next on the 14-acre oceanfront property where the iconic building once stood.
At a press conference at Town Hall Monday afternoon, Mayor Laura Hoydick thanked first responders and spoke about the many residents who were in tears while visiting the site Sunday to see the wreckage.
“This loss was not just ours in Stratford but for the world,” Hoydick said. “As we progress through this tragedy, we will work together as a community to review our hopes, our wishes and our next steps.”
What happened?
The most immediate next step is for investigators to figure out how the blaze began.
Police Chief Joe McNeil said cops receive several vandalism and vagrant complaints about the property every year. The most recent was this past fall, when someone broke in and threw toilet paper around inside the structure.
About a year before that, police said they found a person who had been living inside the building for six to eight months.
While vagrancy is not a chronic problem, the chief said, “There’s always kids trying to get into the property.”
Public Works Director Maurice McCarthy said workers occasionally check the property to make sure it’s secure, most recently about a week before the fire, when they were notified of a suspected break-in.
“No one made entry that we know of but there was loose doors — not open doors,” McCarthy said.
There was nothing to indicate anyone squatting there, McCarthy said, and the building also had a burglar alarm.
Though the circumstances of the blaze have led many to speculate on its cause, Fire Marshal Brian Lampart said investigators have no evidence of arson at the property — though he cautioned the investigation is also in its early stages.
“Everybody likes to jump to that conclusion — it’s a vacant building in the middle of the night,” Lampart said. “That would be a valid question. We’re going to eliminate everything before we get to that point.”
A state police dog used to sniff out accelerants that could be used to start a fire found none on the surrounding land, Lampart said, though investigators have not been able to get deep into the rubble of the theater yet because it’s unstable.
Video taken by some of the first firefighters at the scene indicated the most flames were initially seen in the area of the theater’s stage, he said.
The building had sprinklers, the fire marshal said, but he said he did not yet know when they were last inspected or whether they went off during the fire. The building also had power and heat, though Lampart said he didn’t think the heater caused the blaze.
Warnings signs?
Some residents at the press conference weren’t happy with the town’s response to the fire.
Verona Court resident Heidi Prenty said first responders could have done more to make residents of the area aware of the danger from the blaze, and that nearby property owners couldn’t hear emergency vehicles’ sirens.
She also questioned why the area around the theater was not lit to discourage people from vandalizing or breaking into the building.
“It was all very, very weird and suspicious to me,” Prenty said.
Prenty wasn’t the only resident to raise questions at the news conference.
In interviews with Hearst Connecticut Media, two people involved in prior efforts to redevelop the theater also said the town has a lot to answer for.
Former Arts Commission Chairman Ed Goodrich, a keyholder for the theater for more than half a decade, said he “basically lived in fear for six years” of the building burning down. He resigned from the commission in 2013.
“I would go down there in the middle of the night to check it. I basically lived there day and night,” Goodrich said. “I chased kids out, boarded up any cracks, made sure if they broke in one day I would get the cops in.”
He said the lack of a feasible plan to redevelop the property “was a missed opportunity for the town.”
“The town could not pull it together with that building. It had ample time,” Goodrich said.
“It’s a very poor reflection on the town.”
The theater building itself was insured, but Hoydick wouldn’t share specific details about the nature and amount of the town’s coverage at Monday’s news conference.