VERONA — The third abandoned house fire since February is under investigation in Verona after a blaze on Stickney Road Tuesday afternoon.
Fire Chief Timothy Dodge said that no one was hurt, and the cause remains under investigation.
A neighbor at 5082 Stickney Road saw the flames across the street and called 9-1-1 at 4:46 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. The two-story residence is believed to have been vacant for roughly 30 years, Dodge said. Stickney Road runs north and south between Hill and Sand Hill roads, just east of the City of Oneida.
"They found it fairly quickly," the chief stated. "The fire was on the back porch area when we first arrived, and then it quickly spread through the rest of the house."
Dodge said volunteers from five departments responded and launched an exterior attack, surrounding and drowning the burning residence. No firefighters were sent inside. A hydrant was tapped about half a mile away on Hill Road for water.
Dodge said the flames were knocked down in about 45 minutes, and crews remained on the scene cleaning up until about 11:30 p.m. He said he does not know who owns the vacant property.
The Verona, Durhamville, Vernon, Vernon Center and New London fire departments responded.
This was the third abandoned house fire in Verona since February. Dodge said the fires are under investigation by law enforcers, but he does not yet know the cause.
"I have no idea, I don’t know what to think," Dodge stated. "I’m hoping something comes about soon."
¿ An abandoned house on Patrick Road burned down at about 2:20 a.m. Feb. 14, near the Turning Stone Casino.
¿ Another abandoned house on Sand Hill Road was torched at about 6:30 a.m. May 4.
