Two people and a dog escaped safely from a burning house in Hartland early this morning.
Hartland Fire Marshal Peter Sevetz said there was a delay in reporting the fire on Route 20.
“The homeowner was awakened to find a fire in a wall near a wood stove,” Sevetz said. “He attempted to call 911, but the phone was dead. He did not have a cell phone, so he had to drive to a phone to make the emergency call.”
The homeowner first went to the Riverton Center fire station, but was unable to find a phone, so he drove to Winsted to report the fire.
The second person in the house was awoken by the dog’s whimpering, as the fire burned.
Firefighters were also delayed in responding to the fire by low-hanging electrical wires over the driveway.
The single-family house was destroyed.