$5 million up in smoke! Dramatic images capture blaze at sprawling Connecticut mansion belonging to motivational speaker
A $5 million Connecticut mansion went up in flames on Thursday evening, with firefighters struggling to bring in enough water supplies to try to douse the fire.
Dramatic pictures showed the blaze ripping through the sprawling five-bedroom home, owned by motivational speaker Lawrence Janesky and his wife Wendy.
Firefighters struggled to contain the fire, which was reported at 4.45pm, and crews had to bring in more than 20 water tankers because Middlebury, where the property is located, has no mains supply.
Overwhelmed: A $3 million Connecticut mansion is engulfed in flames after a fire broke out on Thursday afternoon
Devastating: песни на гитаре для начинающих The once-grand entrance way to the home, owned by motivational speaker Lawrence Janesky and his wife Wendy, is overcome by flames
Back up: More than 20 water tankers had to be brought in to help fire crews tackle the blaze
The couple, who made their fortune through Janesky’s basement construction buisness, had paid $5.37 million for the 16-room mansion when they moved there in 2007.
Town appraisals of the property in 2013 set its value at $2.95 million, according to the
Self-made businessman Janesky, who started work when he was 17, has written several books, gives motivational speeches and is part of Think Daily, a service that sends inspirational messages from entrepreneurs.
No one was injured in the fire, and the couple were able to get their pets and cars to safety, before the flames spread across the whole property.
A series of heartbreaking pictures from showed heavy smoke billowing from the roof of the white house, before flames engulfed the property.
The house belongs to motivational speaker and businessman Lawrence Janesky, pictured right with his wife Wendy
Plumes of smoke and fire can be seen coming from the roof of the house on Thursday
Huge flames shoot from the roof of the mansion as fire trucks cover the lawn and drive
A firefighter climbs up a ladder as the intense blaze grips hold of the roof
Flames can be seen taking hold inside the five-bedroom property, which the owners paid $5.37 million for in 2007
The once-grand entrance, with two-storey columns and huge windows glowed an eerie shade of orange and the central portion of the home became gripped by the blaze.
The manicured lawns were covered with fire engines and crews, and at one point the gray roof collapsed, leaving an open shell with flames rising out the top.
It is not yet clear what caused the fire to break out.
A dense cloud of smoke was hanging over the sprawling property when the first fire crews arrived
Fire crews worked from ladders extended high above the two-storey property to try to stop the fire
The plumes of smoke were quickly replaced by a column of fire that broke through the roof
Two thirds of the roof collapsed as flames licked the interior of the property
With no mains water supply in Middlebury fire crews had to bring in extra supplies to tackle the fire
The imposing entrance hall of the mansion is destroyed by the blaze
The property’s owners were able to get their pets and car collection to safety
Flames can be seen through the glass-paned front of the house as they rip through the interior
The intensity of the fire can be seen burning through the broken doorway
Firefighters observe the blaze as it spreads through the $3 million home
The once-grand mansion is reduced to a shell as the fire destroys the roof and large sections of the structure
The second-storey of the left wing is reduced to a few supporting beams
After destroying the entrance hall the fire spreads to the right wing of the mansion
Little was left of the five-bedroom home after the blaze on Thursday afternoon
The columns that used to support the entrance way are all that remain
The heat from the flames causes part of the building to peel away as the fire takes hold of the windows
With the flames under control a bleak image of the frame of the house emerged through the smoke
