Faulty Electrical Panel Blamed For Cottage Fire in Moodus

A Friday afternoon fire in Moodus severely damages a cottage located at 31 Grist Mill Road, leaving six other homes on the property without running water.

According to Carl Holznagel, who rents cottage #6, a friend of his had arrived at the home around 4:00 p.m. to check on two dogs that were inside and had smelled the odor of something burning.

Thinking that the cause could have been the wood-pellet stove, which is the main source of heat for the unit, she turned it off immediately. It was approximately 45 minutes later that she realized that the cottage had caught on fire and dialed 9-1-1, bringing the dogs to a neighbor's house for safety.

The East Haddam Volunteer Fire Department responded with a full crew, several trucks and a tanker. The blaze was brought under control and extinguished, and firefighters were dismissed by approximately 7:15 p.m.

According to Holznagel, he had been informed by fire officials that the cause of the blaze was preliminarily determined to be a faulty electrical service panel and that moisture and rotting wood in that area of the building may have been contributing factors.

Holznagel's cottage is without power or running water. Due to the configuration of the well and water supply, he reported that the other cottages on the property are without water as well. He stated that he was unable to contact the property owner as of Friday night.