Midnight fire destroys trucks, lumber at Cornwall store

CORNWALL — By the time several 911 calls came in at about 11:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, the lumberyard in the center of Cornwall Bridge was fully engulfed in flames. For miles around, the orange glow reflected by the clouds could be seen in that direction. 

Route 7 was closed as emergency responders raced to the scene at Northeast Building Supply, more commonly known as Northwest Lumber. A massive mutual aid response focused on a tanker brigade that had to bring water up from the nearby Housatonic River. Water couldn’t be taken from fire hydrants, which were reported to be frozen.

In all, 21 volunteer fire departments from three states descended on the village, their tankers racing in a loop down River Road to the old train depot for river access, with Sharon’s Tower One dumping water on the flames from above.

But the fire had gotten too firm a hold, and racks and racks of cut lumber provided a massive source of fuel. Residents reported hearing what sounded like explosions from the lumberyard around midnight, but that were actually piles of burning boards crashing down into a literal pit of fire.

Cornwall’s Assistant Chief Jim Vanicky was one of the first on the scene. Initially, he hoped to save the small office building there, which includes the office of the town building official — and all those town building department records. 

In the end, he said the heat from the main storage building burning behind it was too much. The building was mostly destroyed, but a tarp was thrown over a file cabinet full of records, which appear to have been salvaged. It was moved to a temporary office below the hardware store.

Also claimed by the blaze were several lumber delivery trucks. 

About an hour after the initial call, firefighter Brian Hutchins took a short breather and reported the losses, including those trucks that he drove as part of his job there.

The lumberyard is physically separate from the hardware and paint stores a little farther north on Route 7. Attempts to call the store Tuesday morning, Jan. 10, were unsuccessful. However, firefighters were still on the scene and an extensive investigation by the fire marshal remained underway.

As it all continued to be sorted out at press time, questions remained of the cause of the fire and the potential loss of jobs at one of the town’s largest employers.