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PHOTO: Fire Erupts in Vehicle at Service Station on New Canaan’s Stretch of Merritt Parkway [UPDATED]

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Local fire and police responded on Monday morning to a report of a car fire at the southbound service station on the Merritt Parkway in New Canaan. No one was in the black SUV when it became engulfed in flames around 10:38 a.m., officials said. The matter is in the jurisdiction of Connecticut State Police. The engine compartment of the vehicle was fully involved, New Canaan fire officials said. The gas pumps at the service station were not involved, officials said.

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New Canaan Firefighters Control Oenoke Ridge Blaze after Underground Propane Tank Ignites

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Firefighters on Monday finished a full 23-hour controlled burn-off of an underground propane tank on Oenoke Ridge Road that had ignited over the weekend, officials said. The New Canaan Fire Department around 11:45 a.m. Monday responded to the burning tank, which ignited after a leak had been caused by work being done on it, according to Fire Chief Jack Hennessey. One individual working on the tank suffered minor injuries as a result, officials said. Firefighters immediately contained the fire and controlled the leak, fully burning off the propane inside the tank in order to eliminate the hazard, Hennessey said. Specifically, firefighters sprayed a water mist “to disperse unburned propane vapors that were leaking from the damaged tank to prevent an uncontrolled ignition,” he said.

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Cats Turn on Gas Stove on Hoyt Street Early Wednesday, Causing Fire; No Smoke Detectors in House

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Firefighters early Wednesday morning responded to a structure fire on Hoyt Street that appears to have been caused by cats climbing onto a stove, accidentally switching on the gas with combustibles nearby, officials say. Units arriving at 75 Hoyt St. reported light smoke at the 1911-built Colonial with all occupants out of the home, according to Fire Marshal Fred Baker. “The homeowners were extremely lucky as there were no working smoke detectors present in the home,” Baker said. EMTs from the New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps treated the home’s occupants on scene for minor smoke inhalation, while New Canaan Police handled traffic control on the short residential street near the downtown, Baker said.

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More Than 1,000 New Canaan Homes Lose Power Following Single-Car Crash on Smith Ridge Road Sunday Afternoon [UPDATE]

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Update 7:21 p.m.

Power has been restored to nearly all New Canaan homes, according to Eversource. Update 6:38 p.m.

Eversource officials say they expect power in New Canaan to be restored by 8 p.m. Sunday. Original Article

More than 1,000 New Canaan homes lost power late Sunday afternoon after a pole-mount transformer blew on Smith Ridge Road following a single-car crash. A sedan traveling southbound on Smith Ridge Road appears to have crossed into the oncoming traffic lane just south of Canoe Hill Road, clipped a guy wire that flipped into the primary, then crashed through the stone wall and into Hannan Field, according to officials at the scene. The accident occurred around 4:39 p.m., according to fire dispatch records.

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Fire Marshal: As Daylight Savings Nears, Remember To Change Fire, CO Alarm Batteries

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Change your clocks—change your batteries. As it seems that this interminable winter will never end, we look for signs that better (that is, warmer) weather is approaching. One of those is the beginning of Daylight Savings Time which starts this weekend, officially at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 12. (Remember: “spring ahead, fall back.”)

In concert with the nationwide campaign “Change Your Clocks—Change Your Batteries,” the New Canaan Fire Department wants to remind everyone to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms.

“There is no greater tragedy than one that could have been prevented.” —I can’t take credit for this statement however, I could not agree more and the tragedy of home fires with the devastation they create is a perfect example. And when the prevention is as easy as installing and maintaining smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, it becomes more ironic.