Home rebuilt after Sandy catches fire

Kent PierceUpdated: Wednesday, April 30, 2014, 12:35 pmPublished: Wednesday, April 30, 2014, 9:49 am

EAST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) An early morning fire gutted a house at the corner of Minor Road and Beach Avenue in East Haven. No one was home because the house was still under construction.

Its always a sad sight of a beautiful home ravaged by fire. The one on the beach in East Haven caught fire early Wednesday morning.

Nobody was home and firefighters forced their way in.

They opened that door and it was charged with smoke right down to the bottom. Top to bottom. Pretty good fire load on the inside, said Chief Doug Jackson, East Haven Fire Dept.

What makes the sight particularly sad is, weve seen this house before. Or at least part of it.

Last October, on the one year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, News 8 was there as the first poles were put in the ground. We came here on that anniversary because the house that had been on that spot was washed away by Sandy.

Actually picked the house up, twisted it sideways, set it back down, knocking all the pilings over and essentially twisted it, said Patrick Rowland, in October, 2013.

Patrick Rowland is the owner. He had to demolish that first house and hes spent the past six months building the new one. All the while fighting with the state and FEMA over insurance and disaster relief money. He was looking to move in in about a month.

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Home rebuilt after Sandy catches fire