Elderly couple loses everything in fire

NORWALK - An elderly couple with no insurance lost everything they own yesterday morning when fire destroyed their Oak Hills area home.

No one was at home at 22 Southwind Drive when the fire was reported by a neighbor at 9:54 a.m.

The home is owned by Augustus "Gus" Moore, 76, and his wife, Carrie Ann Moore, 75, who have lived there since it was built in 1971.

"This is a nightmare," said the couple's daughter, Kym Moore, as she watched firefighters extinguish the blaze.

Two neighbors saw smoke pouring out of the second-floor window of the raised ranch and tried to get inside to see if anyone was home. They opened the front door, but the smoke was too thick to go in, Deputy Fire Marshal John McGuirk said.

When firefighters arrived, they saw the Moore's car in the driveway and started a search of the house, McGuirk said.

"The couple is elderly and the car was in the driveway, so we were concerned," McGuirk said.

The fire appears to have started in a second-floor bedroom, fire officials said. Flames were shooting through the roof and out a side window when firefighters arrived.

The house was badly damaged by fire, smoke and water.

The cause was undetermined after an initial investigation yesterday, but McGuirk said there was nothing suspicious.

"We're looking at three possibilities, all accidental," McGuirk said. "We're just trying to rule out what caused it."

The American Red Cross provided housing for the couple last night, but longtime family friend Janice Major said it will be difficult for them to recover their losses.

"Everything they had is gone," Major said.