A House and Home Destroyed by Fire

Walking around the charred remains of Karen Moorehead’s house at 45 Harvard Terrace in Gales Ferry on Monday, it was hard to imagine the four-bedroom ranch is anything but a total loss.

Early Monday morning, firefighters responded to a structure fire at the home. Gales Ferry Fire Chief Tony Saccone said the building was fully involved when he arrived. He said the blaze appeared to have started in the front of the house and was fanned by wind back through the structure.

Moorehead, who grew up in Ledyard, is the school resource officer with the Montville Police Department. She had just purchased the house on Oct. 31. The family had been staying at another house, she said, while she made some final preparations.

Moorehead said she and her children had planned to move in this coming weekend.

On Monday afternoon, she seemed uncertain about the immediate future. “I don’t have a house,” she said.

The fire was investigated by the Ledyard Police Department, Office of the Ledyard Fire Marshal and the Office of the State Fire Marshal and determined to be accidental. Moorehead said she was told the fire may have originated in a wet-dry vacuum that was at the house. The home was unoccupied at the time and no one was injured.

In the backyard, a large deck overlooks Cranberry Pond. The deck, as well as the bucolic view, remained intact.

The house was insured, Moorehead said. She hopes eventually to rebuild on the site.

On Monday, Patch readers posted comments in support for the popular SRO on the Montville Patch Facebook page.

“So thankful to hear no one was in it and there was no personnal property moved in yet…” wrote Keri Lynn Bekech. “Love and prayers to Officer Moorehead and family. She was my daughter's DARE teacher @ Mohegan Elementary and we all think so highly of her..."

“Prayers for you and your family,” wrote Sandy Davis.

Note: An earlier version of this story made a reference to a brand of wet-dry vacuum. The brand is often used generically to identify all wet-dry vacuums. Ledyard Fire Marshall Jim Mann said the specific brand of vacuum mentioned by the owner and believed to have been involved has yet to be determined.