A 79-year-old woman was killed and others were injured after a Mansfield alpaca farm caught fire the evening of Oct. 21, according to a press release from the town of Mansfield.
According to the release, the Mansfield Fire Department was dispatched to 441 Warrenville Road, also known as Khuyay Farm, at approximately 6:22 p.m. Mansfield Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Danielson — who lived nearby — arrived first, where they found resident Carol Dauphin unresponsive on the second floor. Dauphin was transported to Windham Hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
Dauphin’s identity was confirmed by a report from Connecticut State Police. An autopsy is yet to be performed according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Two other members of the household were rescued from the building, according to the release. One was treated and released on-scene and another was transported to Windham Hospital for further evaluation.
Danielson was transported to Windham Hospital for burns and smoke inhalation, and two other firefighters received minor injuries and were treated on-scene.
According to the release, one dog died in the fire, with three others being rescued uninjured. No other animals on the farm were hurt.
“Any structure fire that involves household members on the scene is traumatic, and this is a difficult and tragic event for our community,” Town Manager Ryan Aylesworth said in the release. “I want to commend the heroic actions of Deputy Chief Danielson and the professionalism of all responding personnel who worked under extremely challenging conditions. We are very proud that our personnel responded so swiftly with fire suppression and emergency medical apparatus given the relatively remote location.”
The State Police Fire and Explosive Investigation Unit and the Mansfield Office of the Fire Marshal are currently investigating the origin and cause of the fire, according to the release.