The fire that damaged much of a Silver Ridge Road home last weekend appears to have started with one of two heat sources on the first floor, officials said.
Though the official cause of the fire will go down as undetermined, it started with either a lamp or plug-in fragrance oil warmer, a type of “diffuser,” in the living room, according to Bob Rockwell, fire inspector in the New Canaan fire marshal’s office.
Because of just where the fire started, “it raced up the stairs” and spread quickly throughout the house, Rockwell said.
“The Fire Department did a great job—they knocked it down as soon as they got there,” he said.
The fire was reported around 5 p.m. Saturday and caused significant damage to the first floor of the home at 48 Silver Ridge Road, smoke and heat damage to the second floor and water damage to the basement, officials have said. No people were inside the home at the time of the fire, officials have said.
A GoFundMe page has been launched for the New Canaan family displaced by it.
Rockwell reminded residents to use LED bulbs when possible, as they tend not to overheat the way florescent bulbs can. He also urged residents to use caution when using scented or other types of candles in their homes.