Fire Destroys Lombardo Court Home, One Injured

A local resident has suffered third-degree burns burns and a family has been displaced after a fire raged through at 59 Lombardo Court home on Tuesday night, fire officials said.

Firefighters responded to reports of flames showing along Lombardi Court around 10 p.m. Tuesday and arrived to find a home fully engulfed in the blaze, officials said early Wednesday morning. The fire left the home in ruins and the cause is still being investigated.

Fire officials confirmed that the homeowner, Erik Kastner, and his wife and children were in the home but were able to escape the blaze before emergency responders arrived. Kastner suffered burns on his arm and was taken by ambulance to St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury.

Kastner was later transported to the burn center at Bridgeport Hospital for further treatment.

Hospital staff would not confirm his condition, but Fire Capt. Alan Zygmunt said Wednesday morning that he is in "serious condition" after suffering third-degree burns to his arm.

It was initially believed that Kastner and his family were trapped inside the two-story house but they were already out of the home by the time officials arrived, Fire Capt. Peter Kurtz told the Record-Journal.

Firefighters remain on scene this morning as they needed to make sure flames did not erupt again due to the extreme heat caused by the burning home, officials said. Plainville firefighters had covered the town during the response.

The responses led police to close a portion of the Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike on Tuesday night in order to provide room for the fire department to move. The road was reopened around midnight, police said.

Fire officials remain on scene and the investigation is expected to take some time because of the extent of the damage to the home.

The Southington Fire Department has requested assistance from the state fire marshal's office in determining the cause of the fire.