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Monday, December 8, 2008 - RIDGEFIELD -- An elderly man died when fire gutted his home Sunday afternoon.
Officials weren't releasing the name of the victim Sunday night, but public records indicate the house at 13 Hawthorne Hill Road is owned by longtime Ridgefield resident Edward Plaut.
Scores of firefighters from several departments battled the blaze until early evening, and twice, Ridgefield firefighters tried to force their way into the burning structure to search for the homeowner, the sole occupant.
Their efforts were hampered by gusting winds and a "tremendous amount of clutter" that made it difficult for the would-be rescuers to move through the smoke-filled interior.
The homeowner called 911 shortly before 2 p.m. to report a fire in the kitchen.
The dispatcher told him to get out of the house, heard coughing, and then the line went dead.
Five firefighters, three from the Ridgefield career department, a volunteer from Ridgefield and a volunteer from Georgetown, were taken to Danbury Hospital for treatment. The volunteers and one career firefighter were treated and released, the other two were expected to be held overnight.
The fire spread upward from the first-floor kitchen, then moved into the attic above the second floor of the home, which is located at the end of a long, private driveway off Hawthorne Hill Road, a short distance from Ridgebury Road.
There are no hydrants in the district and a tanker shuttle was initiated using tankers and engines from numerous area departments, including Croton Falls and South Salem from New York, as well as Georgetown, Mill Plain (Danbury), Miry Brook (Danbury), Danbury Engine 26 from Connecticut. Ambulances were used from the City of Danbury, Georgetown EMS, and Stony Hill EMS.
Cause of the fire is under investigation by the local and state fire marshals.
Plaut was a political writer who co-authored a book on the race for the 1960 Democratic presidential nomination between then-Mass. Sen. John F. Kennedy and Sen. Stuart Symington of Missouri. The book, "Front Runner, Dark Horse," which he wrote with Ralph G. Martin, was published in 1960.
Plaut also worked on oral histories with former members of the Kennedy Administration for the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library in Boston, according to organization's Web site.
A few neighbors braved the freezing temperatures to watch the fire, and expressed concern for the Plaut's safety.
"He's a great guy and a very interesting man," said neighbor Joe Corley. "I hope he's all right."
Corley said the interior of the home was "filled with papers" that Plaut used in his writing and research.
Firefighters made their initial entry through the front door, but were unable to locate the homeowner.
After an hour of fruitlessly trying to suppress the flames from inside the house, the chief directed all the firefighters to evacuate the building, and they poured water on the fire from outside.
The homeowner's body was found in a second-floor bedroom about 6:25 p.m. A police department spokesman said the victim's name would be released after a positive identification is made.
Article courtesy of The Danbury News-Times
Photo 1 courtesy of Kevin M. Doyle
Photo 2 courtesy of the News-Times
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