KENT – Kent Volunteer Fire Department responded to a report of smoke inside a business Tuesday night that turned out to be an electrical fire.
The 911 call was made by staff at Kent Wine & Spirit when a customer reported smelling smoke, according to Fire Marshal Stanley MacMillan. Kent Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the Bridge Street location at 5:35 p.m.
KVFD Fire Chief Alan Gawel said that when the first firefighters arrived, smoke and a chemical smell was reported to them.
The building was evacuated and responders used two different meters to detect hazardous substances but nothing was indicated, Gawel said. They also used the department’s thermal imaging camera that indicated the heat source was in the ceiling.
“A control unit inside the air conditioning unit melted,” MacMillan said. “It never spread beyond the control panel.” Smoke seeped through the duct work throughout the building, he said.
The power was shut off to the attic by KVFD. Owner Ira Smith was not on the premises at the time of the fire, Gawel said.
MacMillan said that there was no real damage other than the smoke and odor. The building was ventilated to clear it.
Within an hour of dispatch, the scene was being cleared of vehicles.
Because of the nature of the original call, Gaylordsville Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to Kent for mutual aid with a tanker and an engine, along with the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) from Sherman. While the liquor store call was underway, a second fire call dispatched firefighters to 59 South Kent Road (Club Getaway) for an unknown fire that turned out to be a tree on wires. Gaylordsville responded with its engine to standby and wait for Eversource to arrive. Kent’s Engine 2 and brush truck followed to relieve Gaylordsville, after the Bridge Street call was completed.
