(This article by Kayla Collier was published on the Waterbury Record’s website this morning.)
[V]olunteer firefighters in Waterbury jumped out of bed at 2:18 this morning and strapped on their gear as pagers sounded for a Waterbury Center building that was engulfed in fire.
Loading up six trucks, they hurried to the blaze at 3579 Waterbury-Stowe Road — and found flames bursting from every window and every door of the old brick building that, until recently, housed CC Auctions.
The section of Route 100 in front of Cold Hollow Cider Mill was closed for several hours.
Three trucks and crews from the Stowe Fire Department and one from the Berlin Fire Department were called in to help fight the blaze, and protect two other buildings that sit mere feet away.
“Nobody was living in the building, nor were any businesses operating here, and our main focus was not losing the two buildings in very close proximity,” said Gary Dillon, Waterbury fire chief. “We had crews keeping water on those to protect them, as others fought the fire. It’s amazing that they only sustained minor siding damage.”
The fire was put out by about 7 a.m., and crews were able to reopen Route 100 in time for the morning commute as they waited for state fire investigators to determine what sparked the fire.
“At this point, we are just waiting for coffee, and for the investigators to finish their work,” Dillon said at about 7:15 a.m., as one firefighter doused a still-smoldering section with a quick shot from his hose. “We don’t want to destroy any potential evidence. Once we get clearance, we have a little more work to do here.”
It will likely take a few days for the state investigators and the fire marshal to finalize their report, but the building is a total loss.
