Wilton Dumpster Fire: 'Could Have Been Much Worse'

A dumpster fire ignited early this morning behind the building at 151 Old Ridgefield Road. Wilton firefighters responded quickly and spent about thirty minutes extinguishing the flames.

While Captain James Gies couldn't confirm what started the fire, he indicated that it was likely caused by something tossed into the dumpster, possibly a cigarette. He gestured to several discarded cigarette butts scattered in the snow arround the dumpster.

"We don't know what started it. Our big concern was the dumpster is located so close to the building. With the wind today, it could have been a much greater hazard," he said.

A police officer on site said that the fire must have ignited quickly, as she had driven by very shortly before and had seen nothing indicating a fire at the location.