A fire was reported at 40 Chestnut Hill Road at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday, police said. Crews from Sandy Hook, Hook and Ladder and Botsford arrived at the area, which is off of Route 34 or Berkshire Road.
No one was injured and the tenant living in the carriage house was awaken by a passing motorist, property owner Bernhard Roegele said.
"The flames were shooting up as high as the trees," he said, adding the entire structure, much of which dates to the 18th century, was engulfed in flames.
The fire was extinguished about 10 minutes after crews arrived, Sandy Hook Fire Chief Bill Halstead said. The blaze occured in a detached garage featuring an apartment on the second floor, he said. The structure was heavily damaged, particularly the roof, but not completely destroyed, he said.
Although the wind was still gusty at times, the weather did not appear to have played a role in starting the fire, said Halstead, who also is the town's fire marshal, adding that officials intend to make a more detailed examination of the site Monday to determine the cause of the blaze.
Roegele said the tenant, who had only moved in a week or so ago, was sleeping and had the fireplace going at the time. The fireplace chimney had recently been cleaned and prior to the tenant, the carriage house apartment had sat empty for about a year, he said.
The structure had once been an old barn, and Roegele constructed an addition for use as an accessory apartment. In 2005, the town gave him permission to rent it out, Roegele said.
"Now look at what happened," he said. "It was a beautiful house."
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional information.
