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(rshsdepot) Old Greenwich, CT
Fire damages century-old train station
By Ryan Jockers
Staff Writer - Greenwich Time
August 20, 2002
Fire damaged the historic Old Greenwich railroad station yesterday.
The pre-dawn fire did not injure anyone or disrupt train operations, but it did cause "substantial" damage to the exterior western side of the building, Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal Joseph Benoit said.
The town-owned train station, built in 1892, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The fire was first reported at 1:43 a.m. and probably started in the area of two portable toilets that were about four feet away from the station's west exterior wall, Benoit said. The fire destroyed the plastic toilet facilities and spread to the train station wall.
"We're not certain at this time whether it was inside or outside (the portable toilets)," Benoit said.
The cause of the fire was not known yesterday and the incident remains under investigation, he said.
An Amtrak worker spotted the fire and reported it to Metro-North Railroad, which alerted the Greenwich Fire Department.
Twenty-five career and volunteer firefighters from three stations -- Sound Beach, Cos Cob and central Greenwich -- arrived at the scene -- the first ones getting there at 1:46 a.m. -- and they had the fire under control 45 minutes later, Benoit said.
The fire damage is concentrated on the western wall near the railroad platform. In that section of the building's exterior, most of its red, wooden siding is charred, and windows are broken and missing.
The Department of Public Works, in a notice posted on the building, declared it unsafe for occupancy yesterday, and the entrances were cordoned off with yellow tape. Public works officials could not be reached yesterday.
The inside of the train station suffered smoke and water damage, Benoit said, adding that the total damage is estimated at $25,000.
"It can be repaired," he said.
Dan Brucker, a Metro-North spokesman, said the fire caused a few morning rush-hour, westbound trains to pick up passengers on the opposite platform, but otherwise it did not affect service.
"Everything is running on time," he said.
Three years after the Old Greenwich train station was first built it was moved to its present location. The Cos Cob railroad station and the Mianus River railroad bridge are also listed on the historic register.
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #456
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org