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The House of Representatives in session on February 24, 2025, at the state Capitol in Hartford.
Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror
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Burr Mountain Road is closed to traffic Tuesday afternoon as multiple agencies respond to a brush fire near Burr Pond State Park.
By Madi Long
“The park is closed, with an 8-to-9 acre brush fire being fought by DEEP and local fire departments," said Bill Flood, a spokesperson with the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. He did not say whether there were any injuries.
Ken LeClerc, who was on the scene with DEEP’s Emergency Response Unit, confirmed crews were dealing with a forest fire and additional hazards on scene.
“We’ve got a forest fire in the park, and a high-tension wire is down. That’s all I know so far. We’re still trying to determine where and how big,” LeClerc said. Asked how many crews were responding, he replied emphatically: “A lot.”
The fire prompted road closures and power was turned off in parts of the surrounding area, as utility crews and emergency personnel worked to contain the blaze. Burr Mountain Road was closed to traffic, as it was serving as the primary access point for emergency vehicles.
An emergency vehicle heads toward Burr Pond State Park as crews respond to a brush fire Tuesday afternoon.By Madi Long
The Winchester resident who reported the fire said he was at the Burr Pond boat launch when he noticed the flash.
“It’s just luck that I saw a flash and happened to see smoke,” he said, declining to give his name. “At first, I didn’t believe what I saw. I was doubting myself.”
He estimated the flash occurred about a mile away and said it looked like lightning but was silent.
“I just called it in and apparently it’s bigger than they thought it was going to be,” he said, adding that he did not lose power at his home.
Multiple vehicles were seen in the area, including trucks from Eversource, DEEP units and law enforcement. Authorities restricted access to the park as crews worked inside the perimeter. An ambulance was also observed on scene.
Smoke from the fire could be smelled in areas adjacent to the park and, as of about 3:25 p.m.
Officials had not yet determined the exact cause of the fire as of Tuesday afternoon.
Madi Long contributed to this article
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John Carter
Photo by Deborah Carter
Carter arrived at his calling by a circuitous route. After graduating from Yale, he joined the Peace Corps, then returned to his hometown of Milton, Mass., where he founded and ran the Carter Tree Co. for seven years. After closing the business, he attended Virginia Theological Seminary, earning a Master of Divinity. During that time, he and his wife, Deborah, were involved in the hunger movement. Carter said every venture he undertook was made possible by Deborah, whom he described as his constant companion and indispensable partner in his pursuit of compassion and justice. Still, he questioned himself: “Who am I, and what should I be doing that I’m passionate about?”
John Carter and his wife DeborahPhoto by Deborah Carter
In the face of new challenges, volunteers joined the effort to revive the original program, VS1. The Rev. Heidi Truax, recently retired rector of Trinity Lime Rock, has been a strong supporter of Vecinos Seguros from its inception. Glenn Formica, an immigration attorney from New Haven, gave a presentation informing the community about the second Trump administration’s amended policies. Formica also generated written materials in English and Spanish, advising private citizens and employers how to prepare in the event of a visit from ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). William Tong, Connecticut’s attorney general, a proponent of many social justice issues, including the opioid crisis and fair pricing for generic drugs, has also provided support since the establishment of Vecinos Seguros.
The VS2 steering committee, which includes Carter, is led by Jill Drew, a local civic leader. Drew has worked with Judiciary Committee co-chairmen Gary Winfield and Steven Stafstrom in support of SB 91, a proposal by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont to limit ICE actions in “protected areas,” including schools, hospitals and religious buildings. She has also supported HB 5499, which would place limits on the use of automated license plate readers, addressing concerns that the Trust Act is being circumvented through technology deployed for other purposes. Other committee members include Amy Lake and Lee and Sophia DeBoer.
VS2 has launches a range of initiatives, including distributing “know your rights” flyers; creating an online resource with local legal and social services for immigrants; hosting in-person events to educate neighbors and train volunteers; organizing a rapid response team to verify reported immigration enforcement activity and support those affected; providing financial assistance for legal expenses, rent and utilities; and advising employers — from farms and restaurants to stores and private homes — on how to protect workers if immigration agents arrive.
As the annual report states: “We are committed to building on the powerful work of Rev. Carter, who, in the first seven years of Vecinos Seguros, assisted a significant number of individuals and families. It is our mission to continue this important work.”
Few descriptions capture the moment more clearly than Carter’s own words:
“The human cost of current ICE practices is appallingly high. Evidence of the brutality and cruelty of these practices is everywhere. Minneapolis is a recent and egregious example. ICE enforcement is doing much more than deporting individuals. It is also the systematic destruction of families. According to some reports, 90% of deportees are male. They are husbands, partners and fathers, often the primary contributors to family finances. There is heartbreak, trauma and stress experienced by the families left behind. The humanitarian response to the violence and chaos in Minneapolis is inspirational and instructive. Both citizens and immigrants came to the aid of residents living in fear and peril. It should be noted that people of color, whether their status was legal or undocumented, were also deeply shaken by what they witnessed in their communities.”
Carter also described how communities responded. That out of devastation, he said, came something else:
“A new word was born out of the compassionate response in Minneapolis: ‘neighboring.’ In caring for each other, they were ‘neighboring.’ The mission of Vecinos Seguros 2 is to ‘neighbor’ members of the immigrant community whose lives have been turned upside down by current immigration policies.”
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