Spectacular Pics Show Fire Ravaging $5 Million Connecticut Mansion

Photo: Ricky Kulmann

The home was purchased in 2007 for $5 million.  It's currently appraised at $2.95 million.  But let's not quibble over a couple of million. This is one big house.  And the fire that took it down showed little respect.

Photo: Ricky Kulmann

WVIT-TV:

Polyurethane foam insulation in the attic of a Middlebury mansion spontaneously combusted Thursday evening, causing the house to go up in flames and destroying the multi-million-dollar mansion, according to fire officials.

Retired firefighter Ricky Kulmann who specializes in photography at fire scenes captured the conflagration from turbulent beginning to the awful end.  He posted key pics to his @rickbryce Twitter feed. His entire sequence of amazing photos can be seen here.

Photo: Ricky Kulmann

NY Post:

Contractor and motivational speaker Lawrence Janesky and his wife, Wendy, had purchased the home in 2007 for $5.37 million, according to land records cited by the Hartford Courant.

The town appraised the 16-room home in 2013 at $2.95 million.

Everyone in the house escaped the inferno, pets in tow, and had time to remove several vehicles from the property’s garage, the paper reported.

Dramatic photos show the blaze spreading from one end of the mansion to the grand central entranceway, lighting up the vast glass facade like a Jack-o-lantern before the roof collapsed Janesky, a self-made businessman, owns Larry Janesky’s Connecticut Basement Systems of nearby Seymour, CT, along with several other companies, the Courant reported.

Photo: Ricky Kulmann

WVIT-TV:

Jack Teleposky, of Middlebury, a friend of the property's previous owner, has been in the house several times.

"He came into town to try and talk to Larry and comfort him and obviously when you see something like that you need somebody there," Teleposky said, referring to current owner Larry Janesky, who owns Basement Systems in Seymour.

Teleposky described the large entrance foyer where "they used to put a 30- or 40-foot Christmas tree."

All people home at the time of the fire escaped in time. Some of the car collection at the mansion was salvaged, but the home was destroyed.

Photo: Ricky Kulmann

Daily Mail:

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.

Photo: Rick Kulmann