Official Cause of $10 Million Middlebury Mansion Fire Remains a Mystery

The cause of the fire that destroyed Larry Janesky’s $10 million mansion at 725 Breakneck Hill Road on July 3 may forever remain a mystery, reports Bill Bittar of the Waterbury Republican-American.

In the Middlebury Fire Marshal’s report released last week, the it states there is a “high probability” that spray foam left in three unsupervised garbage bags in the attic may have sparked the blaze, Bittar reports.

On the day of the fire, two technicians were applying spray foam insulation, and within a half hour smoke was detected, the Rep-Am reports.

However, a definitive cause of the fire remains unknown for now.

Read the full Rep-Am story here.

Patch’s original post about the mansion fire.

Update, 1:19 p.m. Friday, July 4

Firefighters remain on scene at 725 Breakneck Hill Rd. in Middlebury, where they battled a house fire throughout the night. A construction vehicle was on scene, dismantling the frame of the house.

NBC Connecticut reports that the fire began in the attic, when polyurethane foam insulation spontaneously combusted. No one was injured, according to NBC Connecticut.

Click here for the full report from NBC Connecticut.

Update, 11:40 p.m. Thursday, July 3

A ladder pipe and a portable pond will be in operation overnight, according to Fire Chief Paul Perrotti, via the scanner.

Ladder trucks have pipes that run the length of the ladder and serve as an extra water line. The‘How Stuff Works’ entry on fire trucks said the pipe is used to spray water on fires in high spots, or to spray water down on a fire.

Update, 10: 37 p.m.

Fire Chief Paul Perrotti said he anticipates crews will be fighting the fire at 725 Breakneck Hill Rd., Middlebury, for another hour.

Update, 9:16 p.m.

“One more round of the tankers and we’ll probably have this thing out,” Middlebury Fire Chief Paul Perrotti said over the scanner.

Update, 8:24 p.m.

All firefighters are asked to go back to staging areas with their teams until the storm passes and conduct a head count.

Update, 7:38 p.m.

Firefighters via the scanner note they have a good water supply from two portable ponds and a tanker. A portable pond is essentially a collapsible container that can be filled with water.

Update, 7:22 p.m.

Oxford Fire Department is being called in to assist.

Original post:

Middlebury firefighters are battling a house fire on Breakneck Hill Road, according to scanner reports.

Mutual aid was requested from nearby towns, including Southbury and Watertown. Breackneck Hill Road in Middlebury is reportedly closed to traffic.

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