Officials Close in on Cause of Winslow Road Fire

The deputy fire marshal and a second fire investigator were expected back at 1 Winslow Road Monday to look into the cause of a blaze that broke out the day before in a garage and spread throughout most of the house.

A tractor, which had been used to mow and mulch the lawn only moments before the , is suspected of being behind the cause of the blaze, officials said.

The tractor, a Cub Cadet LT-1042, was purchased in 2007 from Newtown Power Equipment on Mount Pleasant Road, according to .

That tractor model apparently has had service issues in the past, specifically with the valve cover gaskets leaking oil onto the muffler, Frampton said, adding investigators were not sure at this point whether the tractor involved in the fire exhibited that problem.

Meanwhile, the town's building official also was expected to pay the site a visit to post a notice declaring the structure uninhabitable. The blaze caused significant damage to the split-level home and electricity has been turned off to the residence.

Residents Lazaro Gonzalez and Stephanie Ryan were home at the time the fire broke out and initially tried to extinguish the blaze but the fire quickly grew out of control, officials said. The couple and their children had lived at the house for about six years, Gonzalez said.