Attic Fire Damages Darien Home

Firefighters kept an attic fire from ripping through a Darien home at 12 Harriet Lane East in the wee hours Wednesday morning, fire officials say.

According to Fire Marshal Bob Buch, the attic fire started just after 4 a.m., the result of a recessed light fixture in a second-story closet. The light had been left on through the overnight and caused insulation around the fixture to ignite and cause "considerable" damage to a ceiling joist, a closet of children's clothes and a newly renovated attic.

"The house is currently under construction, so there aren't smoke detectors in the attic yet," said Buch. "Thankfully they're living there, and no one was hurt. It could have been a lot worse."

Buch said Tim Koorbusch called 911 at 4:19 a.m. to report the incident, after waking his wife and two daughters. Koorbusch told firefighters he "just happened to wake up," and smell smoke. That's when he opened the attic door and saw smoke billowing from the top story.

Buch said Darien police suppressed the flames with their own fire extinguishers until about 20 volunteers of the Darien Fire Department arrived at the scene shortly thereafter.

"From the outside you couldn't see the damage, but in the attic it was so smoky we could hardly see anything," said Shane Smith of the Darien Fire Department. "When we found the fire in the attic, we were able to extinguish it within seconds."

Firefighters remained on the scene until 6 a.m. to check for extension fires, said Smith.

To those residents who might be concerned about the safety of their own home lighting, the Fire Marshal said a good electrician could check to see that fixtures are appropriately located and installed.