Car fire ignites garage, house

A car fire destroyed an attached one-car garage and part of a ranch house in Old Greenwich yesterday afternoon, displacing the elderly owner, fire officials said.

Fire Marshal George Hannigan said the cause of the car fire at 6 Robin Place has not been determined but the homeowner had just returned from having her Honda repaired.

"We need to look at the car," Hannigan said.

The Greenwich Building Inspections Division declared the house unsafe, Hannigan said. The siding of a neighbor's garage also was damaged by the heat.

The fire began at 12:29 p.m., fire officials said. Helen Richiski, who is listed as the property owner in town records, had returned home and smelled smoke inside the house. She left the house immediately, Hannigan said.

The fire spread quickly through the garage and into the attic, Hannigan said.

Twenty-seven firefighters from the Central, Sound Beach and Cos Cob departments responded to the blaze, climbing onto the roof and punching large ventilation holes.

Firefighters used water to contain the surging flames, then extinguished them with aqueous foam. They had the blaze under control by 12:55 p.m., Hannigan said.

Attempts to reach Richiski yesterday were unsuccessful.

Red Cross spokeswoman Rochelle Rosen said Richiski will stay with relatives in town, but the Greenwich chapter of the aid organization will give her money to buy some clothing.

Firefighters towed the blackened chassis of the car out of the garage yesterday afternoon. They will try to determine if there was a mechanical cause for the fire, Hannigan said.

Firefighters will keep watch overnight to make sure the blaze doesn't reignite, he said.