By Christine Dempsey
The Hartford Courant

TOLLAND - Troopers Eric Basak, Scott McCarthy and John Barrows were responding to a burglary alarm at Tolland Middle School at about 1:20 a.m. Friday when they saw a glow at a nearby house.

They reported it and raced to the house at 53 Farmbrook Drive, owned by the Stake family. They rescued the family and their dog. They even backed cars out of the family's garage, Fire Chief John C. Littell said later Friday.

"Everything they did was phenomenal," Littell said.

No one was injured, although a firefighter who had been suffering from a respiratory ailment had to be transported to an area hospital after he nearly collapsed, Littell said. He later was discharged.

The fire was caused by ashes that had been placed outside the garage, Littell said. The fire started outside the garage, traveled up the garage wall and into the eaves. Flames were lapping the roof when firefighters arrived, he said, but they were able to stop them from spreading into the main part of the house. The family is able to stay there.

There were lots of people thanking each other for saving the family and their home Friday, Littell said: He thanked the state police, they thanked the fire department, and the Stake family thanked the state police.

But some gratitude for the early-morning, false alarm at the middle school might be in order for a higher authority, Littell said.

"I think somebody was watching over them," he said.