Putnam, CT – For the second time this winter the Putnam Fire Marshal’s Office has determined a recent structure fire to have been caused by improperly discarded smoking materials.
At 10:25 p.m. on Thursday, December 21st, 2023 a 1st alarm assignment was struck for the Putnam Fire Department to respond to a reported structure fire at 9 Mohegan St. Crews arrived to find a garage destroyed and active fire within the attic space of the nearby duplex. Crews worked for approximately an hour racing to knock the fire down before it could fully spread through the attic and claim the structure. Five residents were displaced as a result of the fire. Read our full article on the fire here.
According to the Putnam Fire Marshal’s Office, an origin and cause investigation revealed that the fire, which destroyed a garage and damaged two duplexes, was started by improperly disposed smoking materials which ignited nearby combustibles within the garage. Witness statements revealed that residents typically smoked inside the garage and had done so before the fire. The residents discovered the fire when they noticed lights flickering in the kitchen and realized the garage was on fire. Witness statements were corroborated through on-scene analysis and evidence.
Earlier this month crews responded to a garage fire on Grove St which was determined to have started with the improper disposal of smoking materials on the second floor. Read our previous article on the cause of this fire here.
With the temperatures dropping below freezing many residents are seeking warmer places to smoke. There is always a heightened risk of fire when smoking within a structure and a proper ash disposal container should always be used.
If anyone has information concerning this fire or any other fire incident in Putnam, they are asked to call the Putnam Fire Marshal’s Office at (860) 963-6800 ext112.