Crews Unable to Get to Old Saybrook Fire

Two houses in Chalker Beach in Old Saybrook have been destroyed by fire during Hurricane Sandy.

The fire is now out, but crews were unable to get to the area because it is flooded by six to six-and-a -half feet of water, according to Chief JT Dunn, of the Old Saybrook Fire Department.

The two houses are right next to each other, according to police. 

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A team of firefighters in water rescue suits rode on a retired army deuce and a half truck converted into a brush fire truck to try to remove anyone who might have ignored the mandatory evacuation order, but the vehicle lost several electrical systems while traveling down Chalker Beach Road and could not continue to the fire due to the water depth several feet of water.

The houses that were destroyed are summer residences for the owners, according to police, so they do not believe the residents were home when the fire started.

A resident of a town across the water reported the fire, according to officials.

The fire department released this video of the flames.

The Old Saybrook Office of Emergency Management had issued a mandatory evacuation order for three areas of town.

  • Area 1 – all homes and businesses south of I-95
  • Area 2 – homes and businesses in other low lying areas and
  • Area 3 – those homes and businesses near the Connecticut River.

The areas of Old Saybrook hit hardest by the storm include the Chalker Beach area, the Indian Beach Association, the Great Hammock Beach Association and Fenwick.

An evacuation center is located at the  Old Saybrook Senior High School, 1111 Boston Post Road.

 

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