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Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Family Pets Lost in Barn Fire in Moodus

An early morning fire in Moodus destroys barn and truck, while killing two animals.

Moodus - An early morning blaze that began at approximately 7:20 a.m. this morning, resulted in the total loss of a barn located at 60 Trowbridge Road in Moodus. Two family pets were tragically killed as a result of this fire as well.

The East Haddam Volunteer Fire Department, along with several other towns responding for mutual-aid, were dispatched to the address. Firefighters and a fleet of trucks from Haddam, Haddam Neck, Colchester, East Hampton and Lyme were among the crews on scene.

Firetrucks were staged at the intersection of Mott Lane & Route 149 to draft water from the Moodus Reservoir. Each of the tankers took turns pulling in to the staging area to refill with water repeatedly, returning to the scene of the fire located about a half- mile away.

A neighbor, Shane Dutka, who lives directly next door to where the fire took place, was the one who originally reported the incident to 9-1-1.

"I heard an explosion at about twenty minutes after seven this morning. At first, I thought it was a tire blow-out on a car passing by," said Dutka.

"When I looked outside and saw smoke everywhere, billowing out of my neighbors yard, my wife (Terry) and I immediately ran over next door to try to help," he stated.  He said that within minutes the entire barn was engulfed in flames.

Dutka first knocked on his neighbor's door, to alert Leesa Mitchell, the homeowner, of the fire. The home is located only a few hundred feet away from the barn, but fortunately the blaze did not involve the main house.

When Mitchell answered the door and suddenly saw the barn on fire, she was very shaken. "Oh my God, fire!" she yelled, realizing that this was the reason she had no electrical power in the house.

In the pouring rain, the Dutkas scrambled frantically to help Mitchell get the animals out of the barn. Most of the animals, which included two horses, a goat, three geese, and six ducks, all made it to safety.

Very sadly, a goat in one of the stalls and a mother goose who was  "sitting on a nest of eggs", were not as fortunate and perished in the fire.

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"The goose," Mitchell exclaimed, "was right near the door, and free to escape, but refused to leave her eggs!" She is heartbroken over the loss of her two pets.

A truck that was parked next to the barn was also destroyed during the blaze.

Dutka offered to help with the sheltering and feeding of the remaining animals, until Mitchell is able to make arrangements. Mitchell's husband, William, was out of town at this time, at a business meeting.

The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time and currently under investigation.

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