Family Dog Rescued in Moodus Fire

By Barbi Batchelder and Wendy Vincent

On Saturday, May 26, the Favreau family home was destroyed in a fire.

Four family members were in the home at the time of the blaze and were able to get out, including the two family dogs. The smaller dog, KC, however, required the help of a loving family member to bring her to safety.

KC was unable to be located when the house initially caught fire. At the last minute, with one of the bedrooms already ablaze, Mark J. Favreau discovered her hiding under one of the beds.  As the fire traveled across the bedroom ceiling, he grabbed her and put her under his arm and attempted to run out of the room.

Within seconds, what is known as a "flashover" took place and the room filled with fire and black smoke, plunging them into complete darkness.

"As I was trying to exit the room, I could feel the hair on the back of my head starting to catch on fire. I was thankfully very lucky to be able to get myself and KC out safely, though. Both of my dogs are incredibly important to me," Favreau said.

The family's other dog, Madeline, was already safely out of the home at that time.

Favreau is a trained firefighter and a member of the Chester Hose Company in Chester, who were among the crews that responded to the fire. In addition to Chester, fire crews from East Haddam, Colchester, Haddam, Haddam Neck, Lyme and East Hampton responded to the fire and battled the flames for nearly an hour and a half.

The homeowner, Mark Favreau, was transported to the hospital with chest pains and his son, Mark J. Favreau was brought to Marlborough Clinic for evaluation due to severe anxiety symptoms and a possible panic attack. Both were released from the hospital by the following day.

The fire started in the den area of the home and quickly spread to the attic. According to the Favreau's, it has been confirmed that the cause of the fire was, in fact, the result of a lightning strike. One of the lightning rods on the roof malfunctioned for unknown reasons, and an electrical "back feed" or surge occurred and traveled throughout the circuits in the house, igniting the fire.