Prominent Southington Business Badly Damaged By Fire Over Weekend: SFD

SOUTHINGTON, CT — A building at a prominent Southington business operation was badly damaged by fire over the weekend.

The Southington Fire Marshal's office is investigating the cause of a multi-alarm blaze at Winterbury Gardens' Southington site at 2070 West St.

Winterbury Gardens is a major greenhouse, garden, and landscaping retailer that also serves landscaping contractors and the community.

At about 8:13 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, the Southington Fire Department was dispatched to Winterbury Gardens for a carbon monoxide alarm and odor report inside the site's main office building.

Units then received a fire alarm activation on the building's second floor, the SFD reported.

According to the SFD, responding units reported heavy smoke showing from three sides of the structure that also had an upstairs office space.

The SFD said a second alarm was called "due to rapidly deteriorating fire conditions and below-freezing temperatures."

"Crews made an aggressive interior attack to knock down the fire in the second-floor office space and attic, and performed search, and both horizontal and vertical ventilation," wrote the SFD.

Fire officials said the blaze was deemed "under control" at 9:13 a.m.

Officials at Winterbury Gardens said no one was hurt during the fire and it will not impact business operations at the site.

"We extend our sincere thanks to the Southington Fire Department and all first responders for their swift, professional response," wrote Winterberry Gardens in a statement.

"As always, the Town of Southington came together quickly to minimize damage and disruption.

"Our business operations are not impacted, and we remain fully operational."

The SFD thanked its mutual aid partners for their role in battling the blaze.

Southington firefighters were assisted by units from Bristol, Meriden, New Britain, Cheshire, and Plainville. Meanwhile, the Middletown, Wolcott, and Kensington fire departments covered Southington while its units were battling this blaze.