A Madison family lost their Strawberry Hill Road home to a fire on May 6 that destroyed the structure. According to EMS responders, all the occupants safely got out of the house; however, there were two injuries to fire personnel, none life-threatening.

Both of Madison’s fire companies were called out to the scene along with responders from neighboring towns to suppress the blaze, according to Madison Hose Company 1 Fire Chief Robert Kyttle.

Madison Hose Co. # 1 and North Madison Volunteer Fire Company were dispatched to a report of a structure fire at approximately 11:37 p.m. on May 6 at 39 Strawberry Hill Road. Kyttle said North Madison’s department was already on the scene of a serious motor vehicle accident involving an extrication on Opening Hill Road when the fire call came in, making response all the more critical.

“Madison Hose was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 39 Strawberry Hill Road. Upon arrival, we had heavy fire and smoke conditions on the left side of the house,” said Kyttle. “When the fire department arrived, our priority was to ensure that everyone was out of the building…(all occupants) were out of the house at the time of arrival. Nobody was in the house.”

Kyttle said several other departments, including North Madison Volunteer, joined the effort to quell the flames. According to the chief, it took personnel more than 40 minutes to get the blaze under control, but heavy fire and water damage rendered the house a complete loss.

“(We) extinguished the fire with the help of North Madison Fire, Guilford Fire, Killingworth Fire, and Clinton Fire,” Kyttle said. “It took approximately 45 minutes to get the fire under control. The structure itself was completely destroyed due to fire and water damage. It was a split-level home, so the top floor burned all the way across from end to end, and there was significant water damage to the bottom floor.”

Kyttle said occupants were alerted to the blaze by their smoke alarms, and all escaped without injury. However, Kyttle said two firefighters sustained non-life-threatening injuries; both were transported to Shoreline Medical Center in Guilford, treated, and released.

One member seriously injured an ankle, but is expected to recover quickly, said Kyttle. Another member has unspecified injuries that are not considered “serious.”

“There were two injuries to firefighters. One with a lower extremity injury who was treated and released from Yale in Guilford, and another firefighter with minor injuries, treated at Yale Guilford for these minor injuries and released,” said Kyttle.

Kyttle said the smoke alarms were crucial in saving lives in this incident.

“Smoke detectors save lives. Their smoke detector activated and woke up the mother, and she got her children out quickly, and all because of smoke detectors activating,” Kyttle said. “Without a doubt, the detectors saved their lives. It alerted the occupants, and they were able to get out to safety.”

According to Kyttle, responding to a house fire call at any time is stressful for personnel, but especially during evening hours, response requires intense focus and review of potential scenarios responders could face upon arrival at such an emergency.

“When the tone goes off, we are all obviously thinking a hundred different things in our head, but in an order. The time of night, it is a house. Chances are people might be home at that hour; chances are they might be asleep compared to a different time of day. There are a lot of scenarios that run through your head and where they might be,” said Kyttle. “Thankfully, they had all exited when we arrived and uninjured. The main point here is to check your smoke detectors. I can’t stress enough how important they are because they work. They saved three people in this town from possibly facing the ultimate tragedy.”

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, according to Fire Marshal Sam DeBurra.