DANBURY – The future site of a new ShopRite at Nutmeg Square was damaged by a fire Saturday night, according to Danbury Fire Department.
The blaze, which was discovered around 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 27, seemed to have started in a large walk-in refrigeration area and extended up to the roof, fire officials reported.
Due to the size of the building and potential spread of the fire, the Stony Hill Volunteer Fire Company and the Brookfield Volunteer Fire Company were requested to respond to the scene with their aerial ladders as Incident Commander/Deputy Chief Bernie Meehan requested a second alarm.
The fire progression was slowed down by the fire sprinklers within the building. However, firefighters still had to operate hose lines in the building and conduct overhaul operations to fully extinguish the fire.
Danbury EMS was on scene to provide Incident Rehab and medical standby. One firefighter suffered a very minor laceration, but did not require transport. The Danbury Public Works, Danbury Water Department, Danbury Police, and the Danbury Emergency Management were also on scene to assist.
The fire is under investigation by the Danbury Fire Marshals Office.
The fire comes less than a month after Mayor Roberto Alves announced Cingari Family Markets plans to invest $20 million in renovations to open its 11th ShopRite location at Nutmeg Square on Newtown Road.
In a Facebook post earlier this month the mayor and the City of Danbury announced plans for Cingari to open the supermarket at the former Stop & Shop at 72 Newtown Road. It will be the second ShopRite in Danbury (the other is located at the North Street Shopping Center). Apparently, the ShopRite will rebuild the 54,000-square-foot space at the strip mall.
“The Cingari Family’s belief in Danbury, and in the future of this region, speaks volumes. Danbury continues to shine as the economic engine of Western Connecticut, and this project is another clear sign that businesses see our city as the place to grow and invest,” Mayor Alves said.
According to several news reports, Cingari Family Markets will own the store’s property. Cingari’s already own 10 ShopRite grocery stores and 2 Grade A Markets.
A spokesman for Cingari’s said news of the new store is not official yet.
Stop & Shop previously operated a store at Nutmeg Square until October 2024 when it closed along with dozens of other locations.
