Two Fires Break Out in East Windsor in Wake of Power Restoration

As the lights came back to East Windsor, the fire department had to quickly respond to two separate electrical fires possibly ignited when the power was restored, according to fire officials.

The first fire broke out at a home on Graham Road earlier in the afternoon; details of the fire were not available late Saturday. The second fire started in the basement of the white house at 72 Rye St. causing substantial damage to its electrical system.

A passerby saw flames rising from the right side of the house on Rye Street and called the Broad Brook Volunteer Fire Department at 6:26 p.m. The owner of the house was inside at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported.

Fire Chief David Lockwood said the fire's origin is still unknown, but that there were no downed trees near the house. A nearby crew from Hydro-Quebec, a Canadian utility company working with CL&P, quickly switched off the house's power.

“We were lucky because the power company was right behind us and they were able to de-energize the house,” Lockwood said. “They understood what we needed and they did a good job.”

The fire startled neighbors whose elation at the restoration of their electricity was somewhat deflated by nearby fire.

“Now I'm worried,” Ludwig Praplaski, who lives at 75 Rye St., said.

“We were just coming home and we were like 'Oh great, we have power,'” Marilyn Guimond, Praplaski's daughter, said. “And then we saw the fire trucks.”

Cl&P spokesman Mitch Gross said that the company was not aware of either fire. He said that customers must to be alert and remember to switch of stoves and other electronic appliances that may have been on when the power went out.

In addition, Gross said that customers must to be aware of any damage the storm caused to their homes.

“It's imperative that our customers take a look around at the house to make sure that it's safe once power is restored,” Gross said.