Weekend fire guts lakeside cabin

A weekend fire, reported on Jan. 13, destroyed this lakeside cabin at Crystal Lake in Stafford Springs. Photos by Lauri Voter.

A Stafford Springs dwelling owned by South Windsor resident William Krawski, located at 5 Holmes Road, was destroyed by a fire that officials say may have originated in the fireplace. Stafford Fire Marshal Thomas Finch described the structure as a cabin.

The fire was reported by a Conklin Road neighbor on Sunday, Jan. 13, at approximately 9:47 p.m., after the neighbor's wife observed flames coming through the roof of the dwelling, said Finch. Reportedly, he said, some younger people were staying at the cabin during the day on Saturday, into Saturday evening, and were using the fireplace. “We believe it could have been initiated by the fire in the fireplace with no screen in front of it,” said Finch.

West Stafford Fire Department, Stafford Fire Department No. 1, Crystal Lake Fire Department and Willington Fire Department responded to the call. No one was at home or injured by the fire, however the blaze did cause damage to a neighboring residence by melting the vinyl siding on the west side of that building, said Finch.

While firefighters were initially able to “knock down” the fire, said Finch, an electrical issue in the vicinity delayed the final extinguishing of the flames. “We had to wait for CL&P to arrive to cut the power in the area,” he explained.

The investigation into the blaze has been closed, and Finch said the final cause has been listed as “undetermined.”