"Woodbury Fire to all fire personnel, the fire department is requested at 2 South Pomperaug for smoke in the building"  said the dispatcher as the pagers toned out at approximately 21:12.

The OIC, Car 6 - Lt. Garms, immediately signed on and was en route to the scene.  He arrived on scene 6 minutes later and investigated the situation and updated the responding firefighters and dispatch the the smoke was more than just a light smoke condition - it had change to a heavier smoke condition.

The first due unit in was Engine 4, the new Engine 5 followed by Engine 8.  The crew from Engine 4 was assigned to bring a charged line to the second floor and investigate a cause of the smoke.  Additional crews were assigned to the first floor and the basement.

The firefighters went to work stretching hose lines, in the below freezing temperatures, to the front and side doors of the building.  The 2nd floor, interior crew, went right to working searching from room to room to find the cause of the smoke - but the smoke was not a warm or hot smoke - which meant it wasn't a "hot" fire.  They continued on - unable to find a heat source for the smoke. Meanwhile the first floor crew found no smoke on the main level and the basement was clear also. 

The homeowner did state to OIC Garms when he first arrived that they had had a problem with the furnace and they had had no heat and he had pushed the reset button several times.  OIC Garms had the crew in the basement focus on the furnace and ductwork.

The 2nd floor crew started using the departments 3 thermal imaging cameras to see if the could find a "hot" spot in the halls.  They use these special cameras to "look" into wall rather than rip them open, they could find nothing.

As Chief / Fire Marshal Morgan spoke with the homeowner, more in depth, it became more apparent that this was furnace related.  She relayed this information back to the OIC Garms and he refocused the crew on areas where the chimney and ductwork was in the ceilings and walls.  This is an old home of balloon construction and the OIC wanted to make absolutely sure there was no hidden fires racing through out the structure.

The smoke condition began to dissipate and OIC Garms once confident that there was no actual fire in the walls or ceilings, had the crews that had been on air go to rehab for blood pressure checks.  The additional firefighters on scene began venting the building with positive pressure ventilation fans.  Once the smoke condition was clear, the building was metered for CO.  There were no readings.

The culprit of the smoke was found within the furnace, the blower motor failed, the high temp switch did not shut the furnace off and the air conditioning coils melted.  The failures  and melting metals and related materials sent the sooty smoke up the duct work to the second floor where it found its natural path to the interior of the home. 

Luckily there was no fire damage to the home or structure.  The homeowner will have to meet with their insurance company to have the sooty film that the smoke left behind removed. 

The WVFD responded with 3 engines and 26 firefighters.  The first officer was on scene in approximately 6 minutes. The first engine was on scene in approximately 8 minutes.  The final unit cleared the scene at 23:00 hours approximately 1hour and 45 minutes after the initial call.

The WVFD also request the Bethlehem Volunteer Fire Department to have an engine and crew standby in the Orenuag Station during the call.  This was requested because all 3 of Woodbury's engines were on scene and were initially committed resources to the Pomperaug Road call.  The department wanted to ensure the remainder of the town had proper response cover should it be needed.  They wish to thank the Bethlehem VFD for the help.

The Woodbury Volunteer Ambulance Association also was on scene to help with the rehab of firefighters who had been on air during the call.  Each firefighter who goes on air at a scene needs to be clear after each call or 2 bottles of air used.  The WVFD also thanks them for their help.