A family in southern Connecticut lost their more than $4 million waterside mansion after authorities say a turkey fryer caught fire inside the home’s garage on Thanksgiving Day.
The fire took place at a home alongside a large pond in Weston, a city about 65 miles southwest of the state’s capital of Hartford.
About 40 people were home at the time of the blaze, Weston Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief John Pokorny told USA TODAY on Monday.
No injuries were reported, Pokorny said.
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Fire started in garage, officials say
According to a news release from the agency, crews responded at 3:42 p.m. Thursday to Weston Road after a fire alarm activated.
Arriving fire personnel located a well-involved garage fire rapidly extending into the home.
Everyone inside the home self evacuated after the fire started, fire department Public Relation Officer Ryan Blake told USA TODAY.
A home in southwest Connecticut went up in flames on Thanksgiving Day 2024 after a turkey fryer caught fire in a garage, fire officials said.
“Firefighters attempted an aggressive fire attack however their efforts were thwarted by dangerous fire conditions and structural collapse,” the agency wrote in the release. “In addition, a vehicle drove over the water supply hose on Weston Road, damaging the line, which completely stopped the flow of water for several minutes.”
Crews battled the fire for more than 16 hours, the agency reported.
“The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Weston Fire Marshal, however based on the preliminary investigation it appears the fire began in the garage and was the result of frying a turkey,” the agency wrote.
Mansion that caught fire on Thanksgiving deemed total loss
The house was deemed uninhabitable and a total loss, Blake said.
According to Zillow, the 11 bedroom, 9.5 bath, 9,378 square-foot home sold for $4,016,800.
“I would like to thank all the Weston volunteer firefighters, Weston volunteer EMS, WPD, as well as the mutual aid fire departments from Westport, Easton, Wilton, Ridgefield, Georgetown, Redding, and West Redding, who battled the house fire during Thanksgiving,” said Weston First Selectwoman Samantha Nestor. “Special thanks to the Weston Public Work, American Red Cross, Salvation Army of Danbury, Aquarion, Eversource and Soco Gas for their assistance. Thank you for your Service and I am grateful everyone is safe.”
A home in southwest Connecticut went up in flames on Thanksgiving Day 2024 after a turkey fryer caught fire in a garage, fire officials said.
The official cause of the fire remained under investigation on Monday, but a preliminary investigation determined the origin to be a turkey fryer inside the garage.
The Georgetown Facebook post noted that the tragedy is “a stark reminder to all about the dangers of frying turkeys” indoors.
Safety tips when deep-frying turkey
Here are some safety tips for deep-frying turkey:
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Fry turkey in a large, outdoor space far from a building or anything else that could catch fire.
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Have a fire extinguisher nearby.
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Make sure your vessel is large enough to fit the oil and the turkey.
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Never deep-fry a frozen turkey.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Contributing: Marina Pitofsky
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Weston mansion burns down after turkey fryer catches fire in garage
