Arson Suspected In Massive Blaze That Destroyed Empty Newtown Mansion

NEWTOWN, Conn. — A massive blaze that destroyed a vacant mansion on Castle Hill Road in Newtown early Wednesday appears to be a case of arson, The Hartford Courant reported.

Newtown Hook & Ladder battles a blaze in a vacant home early Wednesday on Castle Hill Road.
Photo Credit: *Stony Hill Fire Department via Twitter ‏@stonyhillfire*

An intense fire destroyed a vacant home overnight on Castle Hill Road in Newtown.
Photo Credit: *Stony Hill Fire Department via Twitter ‏@stonyhillfire*

Daily Voice

05/26/2016 2:00 p.m.

The call at 2 a.m. Wednesday was for a brush fire, but firefighters from Newtown Hook and Ladder arrived to find the 12,000-square-foot home engulfed in flames.

The over 100-year-old house, the former estate of the Gretsch family, has been uninhabited for years and had no electrical service, the Courant said. It was sold in 1995 to the Bridgeport Diocese, which in turn sold it in 2013 for $1.74 million to Castle Real Estate Holdings.

The house was so badly damaged that the charred remains were immediately knocked down with an excavator, the Courant said.

Click here to read the Hartford Courant story.

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